


Rich Man, Poor Man

by delightful_fear



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Never Met, M/M, San Francisco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-04-20 21:25:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 47,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4802741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delightful_fear/pseuds/delightful_fear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scandal forces Blaine from riches to rags overnight...can he handle living a life without privilege?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Sorry, sir. Our coffeemaker needs a repair so no drip coffees today. But I can offer you anything else on the menu for the same cost." The cute Asian girl with long pigtails smiled at Blaine, waving behind her to the menu board. 

Raising his eyebrows in disbelief, Blaine looked over the choices. "Ok, give me a London Fog then."

After paying, he stepped to the end, waiting as the young barista did his magic, concocting secret formulas worthy of a potions class at Hogwarts.

It broke him from his daily routine of grabbing a coffee quickly and leaving. He had to wait a couple minutes.

And looking around the cafe, noticed a man tucked off in a corner, by himself. He looked in his mid-twenties, with a slim build, and chestnut hair styled off his attractive face. 

But what caught Blaine's eye the most was his intense attention to his book. On the table in front of him, there was a notebook, pens, and some other books. The book he was reading was quite large and thick. Clearly not a Steven King paperback or something light like that. 

Blaine also got the feeling that he wasn't a college student. He was dressed too nicely, in grey pinstriped pants, a lavender dress shirt with an open collar and scarf tied around his neck. His outfit was a bit too stylish to fit in with most offices around here. 

"Blaine." The barista called out, and he turned to get his drink. But as he left, he found the image of the reader still on his mind. 

\---

"Sorry, sir. We are now waiting for a part for the coffeemaker. Would you like another London Fog?" The Asian girl behind the counter was wearing lots of glittery green eye shadow today. 

"Um.... No, I'll try a macchiato. What the hell." Blaine shrugged. 

She smiled, and charged him the medium drip price. He tipped well, as he had enjoyed the London Fog the other day and felt a little bad paying the lower price for it. 

As he waited for the drink, he glanced over into the seating area, and that man from yesterday was there again. At the same table, and still intent on the book in front of him. 

Today, he was wearing teal jeans, and a charcoal grey shirt. A silver pin was at his throat. 

Blaine watched him, the soft morning light coming through the window making his skin seem to glow. 

"Blaine." Again, the barista's call drew him back to the real world. 

\---

For the rest of the week, Blaine tried different drinks each day and looked for his mystery man. It was such a silly thing to do, but he found himself looking forward to it by Friday. 

Blaine shook his head. Obviously his work at the office wasn't interesting enough, and he was seeking something to shake things up. And all his addled brain could come up with was ogling a stranger and trying new coffees. 

He sighed. Since moving to San Francisco three years ago, he'd worked hard to establish himself in his job, working long hours. He was proud of his achievements but lately he was noticing other people his age. They were out together, having fun, enjoying being in their 20s while they were still young. Blaine couldn't remember the last movie he saw in a movie theatre. Or the last date he'd been on. And he was living in San Francisco! There were supposed to be gay men everywhere here. 

As Blaine waited for a matcha latte, he gazed at his mysterious reader, and wondered if he was gay. He certainly dressed well, but so many men did these days. Today, it was a light green shirt with a vest that was quite fitted over his torso. His attention was unwavering from his books, as always. 

And as Blaine left the cafe with his drink, he decided to start coming earlier to the cafe, starting next week. He’d drink his beverage there, hopefully able to snag a table nearby, and see what more he could find out about his stranger. 

_A change in his drink order AND a change to his routine? In such a short time???!_ Blaine could hear how his older brother would bug him about this if he mentioned it. Cooper was always encouraging Blaine to live a little, stop taking life so seriously. 

Well, they were two tiny steps. Wasn't there some saying that a journey of a thousand miles began with a single step? 

\---

Monday, Blaine carried his chai latte over to one of the cafe tables, cautious to not spill any. He'd dressed with care today, charcoal grey dress pants, an ice blue dress shirt and a coordinating tie, and had to admit it was kind of fun to dress for someone. Looking over his closet and thinking about what he looked good in, making the effort. 

His table was two away from the reader's, but it was still closer than Blaine had ever been to him. 

Even though it was a half hour earlier than his normal time, the reader was already deep into his subject. The cafe was just as busy, most people just grabbing their coffees and leaving for work. 

Blaine could have sat closer to the reader, but it would have looked weird to do that when so many tables were empty. 

Sipping his drink and enjoying the zing of ginger, cinnamon and other spices, Blaine looked over at the other table, trying to be nonchalant. He almost wished he could wear sunglasses, to hide his gaze, but obviously couldn't indoors. 

Maybe he should get a newspaper and cut a discrete viewing window out of it. Maybe he should read more spy novels, get some tips. Blaine smiled to himself over the silly ideas. 

He found a magazine nearby, and flipped through it, although his eyes were hardly on it. 

Today, the reader was in black jeans, a deep red shirt, and a striped fitted vest. The red against his skin looked wonderful, really playing up his fair skin and dark hair. This close, Blaine could see how well his hair was cut and styled, and it made Blaine remind himself to get a trim after work tonight. 

Blaine tried to make out the title of his books, but the reader’s hand covered the spine of the one book. The other one in the table was half-covered by a notebook, and Blaine could barely make out one word. _Greek._

As he tried to discreetly look at his magazine and gaze out the window, instead of staring constantly at the reader, Blaine pondered the book. Was he planning a trip to Greece? Studying the current economic situation? Studying the language? Blaine found himself more intrigued. 

\---

Thursday was an amazing day. Blaine arrived at his regular time, and at first glance, was disappointed, as the seating area looked empty of people. But looking at the reader’s normal table, Blaine saw his books spread out on it, and his coffee cup. 

Obviously he'd just stepped away to the washroom for a minute. 

When Blaine got his cinnamon dolce latte, he made a point of walking slowly by the table, and learned two exciting things. The book he'd been reading was sitting there with a bookmark in it was titled 'Greek Mythology'. And on the side of his paper coffee cup, beside a little heart, was the name 'Kurt'. 

Blaine sat down at his close, but not too close, table and smiled. Finally, he had a name for his crush. And Blaine recognized it as a crush. Kurt. He was a bit tempted to squeal like a teenage girl and doodle their names together. 

And Greek mythology?? Not exactly a light topic, or one that people pursued for fun. Again, he didn't get the feeling that Kurt ( _Kurt!!)_ was a college student. There was no book bag or backpack, and he dressed too well. It just didn't add up. 

And then Kurt walked back to his table and sat down, picking up his book. 

Blaine's heart was pounding. _Oh my_. Seeing Kurt simply walking, that lovely body moving quickly in black pants, an olive green military styled jacket, and plaid scarf. 

God, he was such a dope. Crushing on a stranger at a cafe. Was this any way for a grown man to act? 

OK, enough. Blaine thought. Time to figure out how to get talking to Kurt, and actually see if there was any chance he'd go out with Blaine. If he was straight, attached or simply not interested, Blaine needed to move on. 

Blaine pondered ways to get talking to Kurt. Maybe get a book about Greek mythology and read it, holding it up so the book title was clearly visible, and hope that it caught Kurt's attention enough to start a conversation between them. Yeah, that was subtle. 

Maybe he could try coming earlier to the cafe, and see what time Kurt arrived. Then he could try to be there at the same time, waiting for their drinks at the barista’s station, and Blaine could make small talk. Hmmm... That is a possibility. 

Or he could have some balls and just walk up to Kurt's table and say something. Something that would charm Kurt and make him smile.

_"Hi, I'm Blaine and you are hot! Want to go for lunch sometime?"_

_"Oh, I see you are reading about Greek mythology! Let's go out for Greek food and talk all about it!"_

_”You look like a Greek God. Do you really need to read about it?_

Blaine went back to stalker mode, trying to think of his next step, or at least a better opening line.

___

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-My idea of the cafe, with Voting Tip Jars, yummy lattes and other drinks.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Blaine arrived extra early, ordered a peppermint mocha with no whip, and was pleased to find the seating area empty. Perfect! He could sit down and flip through the paper, and take note of when Kurt normally arrived. Then on Monday, he'd time his arrival accordingly, deciding the plan to have small talk at barista area worth a try. 

Hmmm... Should he sit at the table right beside Kurt's normal one? Would Kurt still sit at his normal one if someone else was nearby? Or would he pick one further away to have his space? Feeling a little daring, Blaine picked the closest table.

His heart pounded every time the cafe door opened, looking up to see if it was Kurt. But by the time Blaine normally arrived at the cafe, he still hadn't shown up. 

For the first weekday in a couple weeks, it looked like Kurt wasn't coming in. Blaine felt let down. 

His mocha was finished, and Blaine had time before he needed to leave for work. In the off chance Kurt was running late, Blaine decided to linger, but he wasn't watching the door anymore. 

Looking around the cafe, he really took note of it for the first time. In the past, he'd simply grabbed his medium drip and left, too preoccupied with his phone while in line to look around much. Once he'd noticed Kurt, he was too preoccupied with Kurt to notice anything else. 

It was actually quite a large space. The cafe area was only about a quarter of the area, in one corner near the doorway. The washrooms were halfway down the wall, next to the cafe. The rest of the space was darker, not lit up, obviously not open for business at this early hour. 

Looking closer, Blaine saw it was a bookstore. Tall shelves circled the walls, and shorter shelves filled in the floor space. Tables were here and there, with stacks of books on them. There was a cash desk area also. 

It looked like the cafe and bookshop shared the seating area, full of lots of small cafe tables and chairs, with a large couch and two plush chairs near a fireplace. Off to one side, there was a small raised platform, with a single chair on it. 

Funny how he'd been here so many times, and never peered into the darkened area of the shop before. Maybe he should stop by after work sometime, and see the place in action. Lights all on and customers everywhere. 

\---  
That night, after work, Blaine headed back. Maybe it was a vain hope that Kurt had been busy, and maybe, just maybe, he'd be in the cafe now with his big book. Blaine missed not seeing him today, as silly as it was. 

Blaine shook his head. He really needed to work in getting a life outside of work. That part of his life had settled down a lot, now that he was more comfortable in his role, and he could leave at a regular time. He just needed a reason to do so. 

Walking through the cafe, he could see it was quiet at this time of day, and a different person was behind the counter. People were sitting in the seating area in groups, talking and having fun. There was none of the urgency of the morning customers, rushing off to their work. But no Kurt, unfortunately. 

The bookstore area was definitely open, and Blaine walked around, getting the vibe of the place. It was a used bookstore, but very well stocked and organized. There was a whole table devoted to book clubs, with ten copies of a paperback tied up with ribbon and a colorful tag, with a list of ten discussion questions. Interesting gift ideas were tucked into the tables and shelves amongst the books, like a table full of colorful Dr Seuss books and plush versions of The Grinch, The Cat in the Hat and other characters. 

A young woman with long curly blond hair bounced up to Blaine. "Hi! Did you find your heart yet?" 

Blaine just looked at her, confused. "My heart?"

She smiled broadly. "Oh, you are new here! Great!" She waved around the store. "Here at Fitzpatrick’s, we celebrate books. So, we give you a little pink paper heart each time you come in that you can stick onto a book you have read and want to recommend." 

Blaine nodded, trying to keep up with her enthusiastic chatter. He didn't spend a lot of time around bouncy young women like this, in his normal life. "That sounds like a nice idea." 

She whipped a pink heart and a black marker from her apron. "What's your name?" 

"Um.... Blaine." 

She wrote his name in the heart, and attached a bit of tape to it, passing it over to Blaine. "Just stick it to a book you've enjoyed in the past. The tape is the type that comes off easily." She bounced away, heading towards another new customer. 

Blaine looked down at the heart in his hand, chuckling. Too bad Kurt wasn't here. He could walk over and stick this silly heart to the book he was reading, use it as a conversation starter. Yup, very smooth, very subtle. 

Walking around the store, he now noticed all the hearts on the books. Some titles had several hearts attached to them. 

He went to the history area, and there were several books on Greek mythology. He wasn't going to go for the plan of flashing the book around and hope Kurt talked to him, but it wouldn't hurt to brush up in the topic, just in case they got talking somehow. 

He was reading the back of one book, when he noticed a book nearby with a pink heart on it. And the name Kurt written on it. _Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire._

Hmmm... Could that be 'his' Kurt? It wouldn't be that odd for a guy who obviously loved reading and who visited this store to be the guy who liked this. 

Another possible 'in'! Blaine walked around the store, and anytime he saw a pink heart with Kurt in it, he took a picture of the book with his cellphone. Wow! This Kurt sure read a wide variety of books. 

Blaine ended up at the bulletin board near the washrooms, and saw a sign with upcoming events. There were musicians playing in the cafe several nights. A few authors doing readings. A writing group meeting. 

And next to that, a sign up sheet for a book club meeting. Third on the list was Kurt. Could it be 'his' Kurt??

Blaine signed up, and went to buy a copy of the book from the bouncy clerk. 

\---

The next weekend, Blaine arrived fifteen minutes early and hung back a bit, checking out the scene. The tables and chairs had been rearranged, now forming a circle with sitting for about ten people. A couple older women were sitting there already, chatting casually, with copies of the book sitting on the coffee table near their mugs. No sign of Kurt yet. 

Blaine got a chai latte, and sat down in the circle, a couple chairs away. "Um, hi. I'm Blaine." He nodded over at them when they looked his way. 

"Hi Blaine. I'm Marie and this is Tanya." The taller woman said, motioning to her friend. 

After the greeting, they went back to their discussion, and Blaine grabbed his book, flipping through it for something to do. His nerves increasing minute by minute. 

The chairs filled, and Blaine introduced himself, finding everyone friendly and welcoming. But still no Kurt. 

Marie straightened up, looking at her watch, and looking around. "Hey everybody. We may as well get started now. We may have a late straggler or two."

She picked up her book. "I picked 'Les Miserables’ by Victor Hugo as it’s on many lists for best novels of all time. But it’s also on some lists for the longest novels, so we will only be discussing the first half tonight.”

"So, the second half will be discussed next month?" An attractive brunette asked. Blaine knew they'd met, but was having problems keeping the names straight. His mind was still preoccupied with Kurt. 

Marie nodded. "As long as that suits everyone.”

People seemed to be nodding along in agreement. 

Blaine was taking a sip of his latte, when Marie looked up, smiling. "Oh, good. I'm so glad you could make it, Kurt."

And it was 'his' Kurt that sat in an empty chair a couple seats over, smiling and nodding greeting as he settle in. He placed a battered copy of the book on the coffee table, and a cup of coffee beside it. 

Blaine's heart was thumping, as he tried to follow the discussion. He'd read the first half of the book and enjoyed it, but all thought about it had fled his brain. He kept watching Kurt, seeing how he interacted with the group. So far, he'd been listening attentively, sipping his coffee

He was wearing tight black jeans, his legs crossed and his foot bobbing slightly, distractingly. On top, he wore a deep red cardigan with a paisley patterned scarf. He looked fantastic. 

"And what is your opinion about Jean Valjean, Blaine?" Marie's voice pulled him back to the present. 

It felt a lot like being called on in class, back in junior high. He had no idea what the discussion had been the last few minutes. Luckily Blaine had worked in business long enough to be able to flub. 

"You know, he's an interesting character, but I'm looking forward to reading the second half of the book, as so many people say it's changed their perception of him. I want to see the whole picture."

People in the group nodded, and the conversation went on. Blaine noticed Kurt giving him a look, but looked away before Blaine could interpret it.

Kurt’s comments were insightful, and Blaine was quite surprised at his voice. It was higher than most men’s, but with a melodic tone. It suited him. 

Before long, the book club was disbanding. Blaine was gathering his things when he noticed that Kurt had stepped closer to him, looking his way. He looked even better up this close, his eyes a beautiful combination of blue, green and grey.

Before Blaine could gather his thoughts and make a cohesive sentence, Kurt jumped in.

“You are a Faker. You haven’t even read the book.” Kurt gave him a haughty look, and spun around. In a few strides he was out the door.

Blaine stood there a minute, simply stunned. 

Really? The first words from the guy he's been crushing on are an accusation of being a Faker? It was just so ridiculous!! Blaine had always been a good student, never cheated in his life on anything. 

He flashed through a bunch of emotions, mostly shock and disappointment that this highly anticipated time with Kurt had turned out so oddly. 

Well, obviously Kurt was a bit off... Or something. Not a good subject for a crush. Blaine should find somewhere else for his morning coffees. Although Kurt was so intent on his books, he'd probably not notice either way. 

But as Blaine walked to the washroom to take a few breaths and splash water on his face, taking a moment, the main feeling became anger. 

Who was Kurt to make such a snap judgment of Blaine? He hardly knew him, probably didn't even know his name! A part of Blaine wanted to revert to his 6-year old self, stamp his feet and shout "Am not!!"

And as he left the washroom, he spotted the sign up sheet for the next book club and he felt a bit defiant as he added his name to it. 

He was going to read the fuck out of that book. He would read it three times, discuss it with his literary friends, research it online. He'd become the fucking expert on that book. And at that book club, his remarks would be so bloody insightful that Kurt would have to concede that he was utterly wrong. Eat a big chunk of crow. 

Blaine nodded in satisfaction, and left the shop.

___

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is 1488 pages long, so no wonder they split it over two meetings. Blaine could have cheated and watched the movie. A fun 'Honest Trailer' of the movie is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBYfA3zTxFE)

-Fitzpatrick's Bookstore as I imagine it. Lots of books, tables in the cafe, fireplace with some comfy chairs, and live music some nights.  



	3. Chapter 3

"Ok, you've been in a pissy mood all day. Let's go for a drink and talk." Tina was taking off her apron, and throwing it into the laundry bag. 

Kurt leaned back in his office chair, stretching his back. He’d been hiding in the back office as much as he could. Luckily, it wasn’t too busy in the store today, or Tina would have bugged him earlier. 

Kurt got up and grabbed his messenger bag. “Are you sure Mandy can handle it for a bit?” 

“Yeah, there’s only a couple people in the café, lingering over their beverages. One lady in the bookstore.” Tina pulled on her coat, and grabbed her purse. 

They walked over to the pub one block over. It was a weekday afternoon, so they had the place mostly to themselves. Soon, they had their drinks and Tina was giving Kurt her full attention.

Kurt rolled his eyes, embarrassed. "You know that guy who you've been teasing me about? The stalker?"

Tina smirked. "Blaine, Mr. Try-Everything-on-the-Menu guy." She nodded. 

"His name is Blaine?" Kurt rolled his eyes again. "Well, he showed up at the book club last night."

Tina laughed. "He's stepping things up. You are in his sights!" She mimicked shooting him with her fingers. 

Kurt sighed. "Where are all the cute gay men you promised me? This is San Francisco for fucking sake! I must have pissed off some ancient god, if 'Blaine' is the only thing coming my way."

Tina shrugged her shoulders. “I think he's cute, in a preppy, earnest kind of way. “ 

"You are quite welcome to him." Kurt scrunched up his face in disgust. "So, he's at the book club, and he's giving me creepy looks half the time. Hardly participates in the discussion at all, and when Marie asked him something, he gave this super vague answer. He totally didn't read the book. So I went up to him after and told him that."

"Kurt!" Tina laughed. "You went to one of our regular customers and told him... what exactly?"

"That he didn't read the book and was a big Faker." Kurt laughed as he took a sip of his drink, enjoying Tina’s look of shock.

Tina shook her head. "Oh Kurt. I can't believe you sometimes. Did anyone else hear that?"

"No, it wasn't like I jumped up during the book club, pointed my finger at him and tried to get the group to shun him or burn him at the stake." Kurt chuckled. "I went up to him once everyone had walked off. Nobody else heard anything."

"Seriously Kurt, what's this all about?" Tina gave him a look, deep into his eyes. This was Tina. They'd known each other through some pretty crazy times. 

Kurt sighed, folding the paper napkin into little squares. "He just comes across as a pompous ass. Like he's some corporate suit. I don't know why he's suddenly set his sights on me, but it creeps me out."

"Ahhhh... So you were a shit to him to dissuade his attentions? It wasn't that he offended your…intellectual... honor? If that's what you'd call it?"

Kurt took a deep breath. "Yeah, it was part of it, maybe."

Tina took a long drink, looking at her friend. "I don't want to stir up old issues, but do you think this is some old unresolved stuff maybe, popping up it’s evil head?"

Kurt gave her a steady look. He knew what Tina was tiptoeing around. _Hunter._ Really? After all this time? Was it spilling over and casting shadows on how he was acting now? Still?

Kurt sighed, putting his empty drink down. "Maybe, Tina. I'll think about it."

He got up, throwing down a few bills. "Thanks for being my shrink, Tina." He leaned over, giving her a tight hug, which she returned gladly. They had been through a lot, and she was way more than just a business partner. She was truly his best friend.

Kurt headed back to the store alone, as Tina was heading home now. It was a quiet night, and it was nice to leave the customers to Mandy to deal with as he handled some paperwork in the back, and then doing some stocking. Anything to keep his brain or body busy. Distracted.

\---  
_‘….the enraged Athena transformed Medusa's beautiful hair to serpents and made her face so terrible to behold that the mere sight of it would turn onlookers to stone…’_

Kurt looked up from his book, looking around for what had distracted him. His eyes were drawn to the line for the café, landing on Blaine, who was looking his way. 

Sighing, Kurt looked back down at his book, picking up where he left off. If only he had Medusa’s power at times. But then again, maybe it would be more useful to have the invisibility cap in the legend of Perseus. Kurt would happily be invisible at times like this. 

Blaine had continued to come in for his morning coffees, but he no longer was sitting in the café to drink his beverage du jour, pretending he wasn’t staring at Kurt. For that, Kurt was relieved. But Blaine would still look towards Kurt at times. But worse was that Kurt felt it. He was aware of it. A tingle that always cut through his concentration. 

Usually Kurt would ignore it, refusing to look up and meet his glance. But sometimes, his glance flicked up, before he could think and stop himself, and their gaze would meet. And Blaine would look away before Kurt could read his expression.

But it screwed up his concentration every time it happened. It left him feeling unsettled.

\---

“So, what’s the tip challenge today?” Kurt pulled up a stool, behind the café counter, looking over as Tina chopped up vegetables. It was early afternoon, after the lunch rush, and she always prepped the ingredients for the next day’s soup at that time.

Tina looked over, smiling. “Puppies vs. Kittens. Any guesses how it’s going so far?” 

Looking up at the ceiling, Kurt thought for a second. “Hmmmm…, I’d say puppies would win normally, but our clientele has a higher percentage of women than the general population. So I think it’s 60% for kittens.”

“But maybe the puppy people gave bigger tips than the kitten people, swinging it to their side.” Tina laughed, scooping the cut vegetables into a plastic tub and snapping the lid on. She tucked it into the fridge, and wiped down the counter.

“Are you saying it's like the ‘Star Wars vs. Star Trek’ challenge? Trek winning because those tippers gave more per tip?” Kurt smiled. 

The tip challenge was another one of Tina’s fun ideas that made Fitzpatrick’s different than their big name competitors. Every day, she put out two glass jars, each with it’s own label, and let people vote with their tips. It triggered a lot of fun debates with the customers, and Tina would post the results the next day on her menu board. Sometimes she would do something seasonal, like The Scrooge vs. The Grinch. Or music-related, like Katy Perry vs. Lady Gaga. Anything was fair game.

Tina checked on the oven, and then pulled out the cookies. Grabbing a flipper, she moved them over to the cooling rack. “Well, right now puppies are winning, but we have the mystery book club tonight. I’d say they are mostly ardent cat lovers.” 

“Care to make it interesting?” Kurt leaned over and grabbed a cookie with a broken edge. It was still very hot, almost burning his fingers, but he couldn’t resist taking a little bite, savouring the melted chocolate. He moaned around his full mouth. “Mmmmmm so good, as always, Tina.”

She nodded, pleased. Although most of the baked goods she sold in the café were from an outside bakery, she made a dessert after lunch every day. The smell of brownies, cake or cookies spread throughout the whole shop, and brought a lot of people in for a fresh baked afternoon coffee treat. It made the store feel more homey, inviting.

“I’ll take kittens. And if I win, you take out my garbage for a week.” Tina moved all the dirty dishes to the big sink, letting them soak a bit. 

Kurt held out his hand. “OK, and if puppies win, you sweep the sidewalk each morning.” 

Tina shook it. Grabbing the other stool, she sat down with a sigh, stretching her legs out in front of her body. She gave Kurt a sideways glance. “I’m surprised you didn’t pick something like making me warn Blaine off. Or arranging for him to be shanghaied.” 

“Do people still do that? Is there a number you can call? ‘Hello, Shanghaiing or Us? Yes, would you please come by and pick up my stalker?’” Kurt said drily.

She nudged his shoulder. “Come on, now. Weren’t you a bit surprised that he kept coming here for coffee after your rude behaviour?”

Kurt sighed. “A little, but obviously he comes for your great service and coffees, not for the eye candy.” He waved a dismissive hand down his body.

“I’m not so sure about that. I’ve noticed he spends a lot of time in line looking your way.” Tina just loved bugging Kurt. And the topic of Blaine was just too good to let go, because Kurt wasn’t as indifferent as he pretended to be. 

___

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-Perseus killing Medusa scene in 2010 movie 'Clash of the Titans' clip [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBfe9uX0Xk0)


	4. Chapter 4

“We identify with Jean Valjean as we watch his moral progress, from moral failure to redemption,” Blaine explained, his eyes alight, “That’s really important in the book as a parallel between individual and collective progress. … Victor Hugo was hoping for the redemption of his country. His country had taken a huge step backwards at that time: A lot of people were miserable, and the country was a dictatorship under Napoleon III.”

People were nodding along, and Blaine could tell they were interested in his view of the novel. 

"I think that is why the book still resonates with us today. Decent, honest people are still being exploited. People are still unemployed and going hungry. " Blaine reached down to pick up his coffee. 

He felt pleased, but didn't dare glance over at Kurt. Internally, he was smirking. _Take that, Mr. Know It All._

The conversation continued, discussing the value of public education and women's rights in the novel. It also went to comparing the book against the musical and the film adaptations. Blaine contributed his views often. 

As the book club disbanded for the night, Tanya took the time to ask Blaine a few more questions and invited him to their next meeting. He really felt like a part of the group. 

When he was packing the book into his bag, he noticed a presence nearby. Looking up, it was Kurt. Blaine just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

Kurt huffed. "OK, I was wrong and I apologize." His expression was neutral, waiting for Blaine’s reaction. It was an olive branch, and Blaine chose to accept it.

Blaine simply nodded, and turned back to fasten the closure on his knapsack. By the time he’d swung it up to his shoulder, Kurt had disappeared from the area. 

\---

The next day, Kurt was reading about Andromeda being sacrificed to a sea monster, when he had the feeling of being watched again. 

Looking up, he saw Blaine in the line, his expression hard to read. Inwardly shrugging to himself, he waved. Blaine's eyebrows rose, and then he smiled. 

A few minutes later, Blaine walked over with his beverage. "Hey, Kurt. How are the studies going?"

Kurt moved his books into a pile. "Good, good. Want to sit down for a bit?" 

Again, Blaine looked a bit surprised. "Ah, sure. I have about twenty minutes before I need to go."

"What type of work do you do?" Kurt sipped his Americano, taking in Blaine's charcoal grey suit. 

Blaine sipped his latte. "I'm one of dozens in capital markets department of a major investment firm." He smiled in a self-deprecating way. 

Kurt whistled. "Sounds fancy."

Blaine shrugged. "Hardly. I've been there three years, so I'm still a very junior member in my group. Basically I'm the main grunt."

Kurt looked over Blaine, doubting it was as 'lowly' as he was portraying. "Did you grow up here?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, the Chicago area. I went to school out there, and moved here after graduating for this job."

"What do you think of San Francisco? I've only been here about a year myself."

Blaine tilted his head to the side, and laughed. "This sounds awful, but I've been working so much, I've barely done much but be at the office and crashing at my apartment. The weather is better than Chicago, I can say that for sure."

Kurt nodded. "I can relate! Since we got the cafe, Tina and I are here most of the time. But I love it and the business is getting to where we want it."

Blaine finished his drink. "I envy that you have so much control here. You don't have to go through a committee and get it passed through a board of directors to make a change."

Kurt smiled wryly. "Just have to get it past Tina Cohen Chang. She can be a bulldog when she has an idea she won't budge on."

"How long have you know her?"

Kurt laughed. "Since she was a goth little freshman. We were in glee club together."

Blaine's eyebrows rose again. "So, about ten years or so?" He guessed they were around his age, 25 years old.

“Yeah, I guess so. Incredible how fast it’s gone though.”

Standing up, Blaine grabbed his empty cup. “Just like the last twenty minutes.” He laughed. “I better get going. But it was nice talking with you, Kurt.”

Kurt nodded, smiling.

___

It became a regular thing each day. Blaine sitting with Kurt in the morning for twenty to thirty minutes before heading into work, Kurt pushing his books out of the way as Blaine sat down, giving his full attention. 

Blaine was enjoying their talks, getting to know Kurt. They were on friendly, safe topics though. He didn’t want to push things by being flirty. Maybe it just seemed too early in the day for it as well. But his thoughts were preoccupied during work, thinking of things to discuss with Kurt. And trying to get up the nerve to ask Kurt out.

His attraction to Kurt grew upon getting to know him more. His clothes, his hair, his beautiful, fair skin… but also the way he talked about the store and his friends. Blaine thought about what he could suggest to Kurt. Take their talk outside the store, have more time together, and maybe develop into something more. 

The next morning, Blaine waited for an opening, feeling a little nervous, but still wanting to do it.

“Are you even listening, Blaine? Or do you need a stronger coffee to wake up?” Kurt’s laugh pulled Blaine attention back.

Blaine shook his head, running a hand through his curly, short trimmed hair. “Sorry Kurt. I was just thinking about something I read about the other day, and wanted to mention it to you before I forget. You know Grace Cathedral?”

Kurt nodded. “Yes, although I’m not really a religious person. I’ve never been inside it.” 

“Me neither, I’m embarrassed to say, since I’ve lived here longer than you have.” Blaine took a deep breath. “Well, I’ve heard they have these beautiful labyrinths that you can walk, as a meditative kind of thing. And tonight they are having it lit by candlelight, with live music.”

Kurt looked intrigued. “Labyrinths? Like a maze made out of hedges? Like in _The Shining?”_

Shaking his head, Blaine laughed lightly. “No, it’s a pattern on the floor that you walk along, and apparently the one at Grace Cathedral is a replica of a thousand year old one in France.” 

“That sounds interesting. When is it?” Kurt sipping on his coffee.

Blaine smiled, happy that Kurt seemed interested. “At 7 pm. Would that work for you?” 

Kurt looked at Blaine for a minute and then nodded. “Yeah, there are no special events on at the store tonight, and the regular staff can handle it. I’d like to go… but I should tell you something, Blaine.”

“OK, Kurt, what is it?” Blaine was feeling so happy that Kurt had agreed.

“Um…. I’m not exactly sure how to say this, Blaine, but…” Kurt paused a second. “Is it OK if we just go as friends?”

Blaine’s eyes dropped to the table, not wanting to reveal his disappointment in his expression. “Oh, yeah… that’s fine.” 

Kurt rushed on, not wanting Blaine to feel bad. “It’s nothing against you, Blaine, of course. I’m just not looking for dating these days.” 

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s good having a friend with common interests, Kurt. I’ll text you later with the details, OK?” Blaine stood, wanting to leave before he gave his feelings away.

Kurt nodded, watching as Blaine left the cafe. 

___

**I’m outside now, if you’re ready to go. – B**

Kurt looked down at the text and replied quickly that he’d be out in a minute. Pulling on his coat, he locked up the office and headed out, waving goodbye to Mandy as he went. 

Outside, Blaine was waiting by a large, dark car. He smiled and opened the back door for Kurt and circled around the car to get in on the other side. 

Kurt raised his eyebrows and got in. Softly, to Blaine, he said, “You have a driver?” 

Blaine nodded, turning to look over to Kurt. “It’s a perk of my job. I thought it would be easier tonight, since the parking can be hard to find on Knob Hill.” 

Looking out the window at the passing traffic, Kurt thought about why there was a sudden tightness in his stomach. He knew Blaine worked for an investment firm, but having a car service meant he was in a more important position at the business than how it had sounded from his description. 

Pretty soon, the car was slowing and they got out. The gothic cathedral soared above them, the ancient style in such juxtaposition with the busy city streets. 

Following the trickle of people heading towards the huge structure, they entered through the tall bronze doors, intricately depicting stories from the Old Testament on its panels. Pillars marched down the length of the building, arching up to the high ceilings and framing the many stained glass windows. The lighting was low, and candlelight flickered from many glass lanterns laid out over the floor. People milled about, talking in hushed tones.

Kurt tilted his head back, his eyes tracing the arches and elaborate ornamentation, in awe of the beauty. He turned towards Blaine, who was also looking at the details with great interest. Bumping his shoulder gently, Kurt whispered, “Thanks for bringing me here, Blaine. This is amazing. I feel like I’m in the Notre Dame.” 

Blaine smiled. “I thought you would like it, with your interest in architecture, history and all things French.” 

Narrowing his eyes, Kurt looked back to Blaine. “How did you know that I like those subjects? They haven’t come up in our conversations.” 

Blaine was glad the lighting was low as he dipped his head, blushing. “Well, I noticed which books you had recommended in the book store. You are remarkably well-read, Kurt.” 

Kurt shrugged, brushing off the compliment. They walked up the aisles and returned to near the entrance, where the labyrinth was laid out over the floor before the start of the rows of pews. Candles on the floor encircled it. A small string quartet was playing restful, lulling melodies. It was such a serene setting; Kurt could feel his tension unwinding, his shoulder dropping slightly and each breath coming easier. 

There was no one directing them, so they simply followed the actions of the other people. Stepping onto the labyrinth pattern on the floor, they followed it, step by step. The path turned back on itself, eleven turns in total, until they reached the flower pattern at the center. Walking back out, again following the pattern with each step, they soon found themselves outside the candlelit circle.

“Shall we sit in a pew for a bit, and take in the atmosphere?” Blaine suggested softly.

Kurt nodded, and followed him to the center of the nave. Sitting on the hard smooth oak, Kurt faced towards the altar. “Do you know much about this church, Blaine?”

Blaine shrugged. “It’s an Anglican church, in the gothic style. I know they copied the labyrinth pattern from a medieval French church, ‘The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres’.”

 _“Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres.”_ Kurt corrected him, with a small smile playing on his lips. His accent was perfect. 

“You speak French, Kurt?” Blaine’s eyes were shocked. 

Kurt nodded. “As a little kid, I was a big fan of Celine Dion. I ended up finding some of her older albums at a garage sale, and they were all in French. I was pretty obsessed with them.” 

“You became fluent just from that?” 

Shaking his head, Kurt looked down at his lap. “I got curious about what the lyrics meant, and bought a french-english dictionary at an used book store. It was like a puzzle, decoding them. It was something I worked on in my spare time. I found books at the library, and my vocabulary improved over time.“

Blaine nodded. “And your interest in France grew out of that? French architecture and French history?” 

“Yes. There is even a French town, called Versailles, although the locals pronounce it ‘ver-sales’, about an hour south of Lima that I convinced my dad to take me to on a road trip. I thought it was wildly exciting at the time. Maybe one day I’ll get to see the real Versailles.” 

Blaine could only shake his head in wonder. The more he learned about Kurt, the more Kurt amazed him. “I visited there once, right when I finished college. You would enjoy it so much, Kurt.” 

Kurt sighed softly. Going on trips like that would be wonderful, but he didn’t see it being a possibility for him. Not really. It was hard to imagine ever having enough money available to travel so far away.

For people like Blaine, it was no big deal to fly around the world for a week or two of holidays, spending thousands of dollars. 

Getting up, Kurt moved down the aisle. “Blaine, I think there is another labyrinth outside. I heard someone mentioning it before. Shall we go look?” 

Blaine nodded, following Kurt’s lead. In the plaza between the main cathedral and the other buildings, the labyrinth was repeated. They had this one to themselves, in the early evening darkness, and they slowly traced the patterns with their steps, each lost in their own thoughts. 

Blaine called for the car, and they sat on a low wall as they waited, quietly. It started to drizzle lightly. 

“Oh shit!” Blaine hopped up. “Do you want to go inside, Kurt? I don’t want you getting wet.” 

Kurt chuckled. _“Don't you fret, M'sieur Marius. I don't feel any pain, A little fall of rain, Can hardly hurt me now…”_ He sang softly.

 _“You would live a hundred years, If I could show you how, I won’t desert you now…”_ Blaine sang back in a beautiful tenor, smiling. 

The car pulled up, and they tumbled into the back, laughing, as they continued the song in the back of the car. His driver probably thought they were nuts. 

At the end of the song, Blaine smiled widely at Kurt. “Now I want to watch the movie! Come back to my place, and we can pop it in, sing along to everything.” 

Kurt agreed eagerly. Blaine leaned forward to instruct the driver.

___

It still felt a bit unreal that he was sitting in this elegant living room, the fireplace blazing, watching the big screen TV with powerful surround sound as he sipped from a huge mug of tea. Blaine’s apartment was incredible, perfectly decorated like a four star hotel. And Blaine acted like it was normal for someone in their mid-twenties to live like this. 

Kurt thought of his small but comfortable flat on the top floor of a Victorian style house. His whole flat could fit into this living room.

“Blaine, you mentioned that you worked for an investment firm. Which one?” Kurt asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

Blaine glanced at Kurt, and nodded. “Anderson Parker.”

“And the Anderson in the name is…?”

Sighing, Blaine nodded at Kurt. “My father. He started the firm with his friend, Charles Parker.” 

Kurt whistled softly. Anderson Parker was one of the biggest investment firms in the country. It had grown huge over the decades. So well respected, so elite. 

“And what do you do there, Blaine?” 

“I’m learning the business, from the ground up. My father works in the Chicago headquarters. I came out here to have a little distance, and be treated more like a normal employee.” 

Kurt arched his eyebrows. “And the car? This apartment?” 

Blaine shrugged, again sighing. “It was a compromise, a deal with my father. He allowed me to work out of this office, but he wanted me to be safe.”

They both turned back to the movie for a little while, sipping their tea.

“And what about you, Kurt. How did you and Tina come to have the bookstore and café?” Blaine had been curious about that for quite a while. 

Kurt fiddled with the blanket he was cuddled underneath. “It was quite a surprise, actually. An older aunt on my mother’s side… she named me in her will. We weren’t close, but she had no children of her own. The building is a lease, but the contents are mine.” 

“And Tina?” Blaine encouraged.

“She was living back in Lima, after her divorce, not really sure what she wanted to do. When I talked to her about the inheritance, and what I should do, she convinced me we should try running the business. We came out here and the place was a mess, since the store had been closed for a while when my aunt was ill. We cleaned, painted, sorted everything… It’s been a year now, and we are doing pretty well.” Kurt’s face showed his quiet pride in this. 

Blaine sipped from his mug. “Had either of you worked in a similar business before?” 

Shaking his head, Kurt shifted his feet up onto the ottoman and draped the throw over his long legs. “Not really. But my father runs a small auto body shop I worked in a fair bit, so I knew the basics of running a business. I was on the phone with him a lot in the beginning.”

Watching Kurt’s face closely, Blaine could see the fondness in Kurt’s expression when he mentioned his father, and when he spoke of Tina. It was clear how close he was with both of them. Blaine thought on his relationships, but he would not say he was that close with his father. They respected each other, but it had never been close like he was with Cooper, or friends from his prep school or university. 

They turned back to the film, singing along to _‘Bring Him Home’_ and the rest of the songs. 

When the film ended, Kurt got up, carrying the tea things into the kitchen. It was large and pristine.

Blaine walked Kurt to the door. “The car should be out front by now.” It was awkward, as this almost felt like the end of a date. He certainly wanted to give Kurt a kiss goodnight. But he had to respect Kurt’s wishes in this, or risk losing him entirely. 

“Goodnight, Blaine. I enjoyed spending time with you tonight.” Kurt said softly, his eyes seeming so large in the dim light of the hallway. He gave Blaine a small smile, and then slipped out the door.

___

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Blaine's views on Les Miserables come from this [ article.](http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865569269/Timeless-themes-and-values-abound-in-new-Les-Miserables-movie.html?pg=all)

-Labyrinth in Grace Cathedral: Watch a 1.5 min video [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiT9ES4bcF0)

-A Little Fall of Rain scene from Les Miserables [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no4B8YWhdFg)


	5. Chapter 5

____

**  
******...FRAUD…..  
...Ponzi Scheme….  
...ARRESTED…..  
...Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)….  
...Biggest Securities Fraud since Bernie Madoff….  
...ASSET FREEZE…..  
...Restitution…  
...PRISON….. 

Kurt looked up from the newspaper, shaking his head, the words just a blur, jumping off the page. He couldn’t make sense of it all. 

He looked down again, checking for the tenth time. Yes, it was there in clear, bold print… Anderson Parker Investment Securities LLC… Definitely, it was Blaine’s company. The company founded by his father.

Looking at the grainy picture, he looked for a resemblance between Blaine and his father. Blaine must take after his mother more, as Kurt couldn’t see any similarity.

He sensed movement close by, and looked up as Tina flopped down at his table, letting go a big sigh. “I still can’t believe it!” 

Her eyes were wide, reflecting back Kurt’s shock and bewilderment. 

“And Blaine was here getting his coffee yesterday just like normal! There was no hint of anything like this.” Kurt said softly.

Tina reached over, putting her hand over Kurt’s in comfort. “It looks like a lot of the senior staff of the company were arrested. Do you know if Blaine was? Anyone at the San Francisco office?” 

Kurt sighed, frustrated. “I don’t know. The newspapers don’t mention it, mostly focusing on his father and his partner. I’ve texted and left a voice mail for Blaine yesterday, asking him if I can help, but there's nothing back from him yet.” Tonight, he’d be able to search the Internet thoroughly, hopefully find out more.

Getting up, Tina came around the table and hugged Kurt. He held her tight, tucking his face against her warm neck. This was just insane. 

Unfortunately, there really was nothing he could do. Sighing, he moved back and got up. “I’m going back to work. I need to keep busy, keep my mind off this.” 

___

News was spotty, very sensationalistic. It was hard to know what to believe. Hastily researched biographies of Charles Parker and Keith Anderson were playing on CNN and other news shows. So far, Kurt had only seen one mention of the rest of the Andersons. From this, he heard about his mother, Pam, and his brother, Cooper, who both lived in Chicago. It was surreal learning about a friend’s family from the media like that.

___

Near 6:00 pm the next day, Kurt was stocking a shelf, when he sensed a presence nearby. Looking up, there was Blaine, standing quietly so close.

He looked exhausted. Haunted. An empty shell, swaying slightly on his feet like he was seconds from collapsing. 

Kurt turned and pulled him close, feeling his weight leaning into his body, sagging like he was boneless. “Let’s get out of here.” 

Just seeing Blaine like that, Kurt knew he was running on vapors. He needed to crash in a bed and sleep. Heading to the backroom, Kurt pulled Blaine with him and continued out the back door. Luckily, his car was parked close by. Soon, Blaine was in the passenger seat, and Kurt buckled him in.

“Blaine, I just need to grab my bag and tell Mandy to close up. I’ll be back in a minute. It’s OK if you fall asleep here. You’re safe.” 

Blaine nodded slightly, his eyes seeming a little unfocussed. 

___

Never before had Kurt regretted being on the top floor of the house. His arm around Blaine, he slowly worked them up the staircase, little by little, whispering encouraging words into his ear. Blaine was silent, his breathing heavy, but he followed Kurt’s instructions.

In Kurt’s apartment, he guided Blaine right to the bedroom. Blaine was still as Kurt undressed him down to his undershirt and boxer briefs, and then encouraged him to lie down. “Sleep, Blaine. You are safe here. We can eat and talk when you wake up.” 

Blaine’s eyes were shut, and with a rough sigh, he went limp against the pillow. Kurt was tempted to kiss his forehead, but he satisfied the urge by brushing the hair back off of Blaine’s face. He made sure Blaine was tucked in comfortably, and pulled the curtains shut to darken the bedroom. 

Shutting the door behind him, Kurt went into the kitchen, looking into the refrigerator. There was enough food for a few meals for them. Blaine had looked so exhausted, he might not wake up until the next morning anyways. 

“Hey Tina.” Kurt was glad that she answered his phone call.

Tina sounded preoccupied. She was usually at the café around 5:00 am, so she was likely heading to sleep pretty soon. “Oh, Kurt. What’s up? Is everything OK with the store?”

Kurt sighed. “Yes, the store is OK, but I left Mandy to close. Blaine showed up there.” 

“Oh, really? How does he look?” Tina’s voice was soft.

“Not good, Tina. Exhausted. I brought him back to my place and he’s sleeping already.” 

“That’s understandable. Anything I can do to help?” Kurt could hear the concern in her voice.

“Well, I’d like to be here tomorrow for him, if he needs me. Would you be able to cover things?” Kurt wouldn’t ask unless it was completely necessary. They didn’t have that much staff yet. 

“Of course, Kurt. Get some rest yourself, OK?” 

“I will. Thanks, Tina.”  
___

Kurt checked on Blaine, and saw that he was sleeping soundly still. 

Going to the kitchen, Kurt made a big pot of beef stew. While it was bubbling gently on the stove, he went online for the latest information on the case. It was frustrating to see all the varying information. He was sure half of it was exaggerated or complete fiction. 

Once the stew was done, Kurt put two portions into bowls and froze the rest in single serving containers, for quick meals later on. He put one bowl into the fridge for Blaine when he woke up. 

Curling up on the sofa, Kurt watched some reality TV with the volume on low, needing the mindless distraction while he ate. Grabbing his laptop when he finished his meal, he surfed the web. 

The papers kept referring to the Bernie Madoff case, so Kurt read up about it. He was arrested in 2008, plead guilty in 2009. Madoff is currently serving a 150-year sentence in federal prison for the $17 billion investor fraud. Prosecutors estimated the size of the fraud to be $64.8 billion, based on the amounts in the accounts of Madoff's 4,800 clients as of 2008. 

Scarier was what he read next. "His son Mark committed suicide by hanging exactly two years after his father's arrest."

How involved was Blaine's family with the firm? What would happen with Blaine? The thought of suicide was just too crazy to consider. 

Kurt hadn't known Blaine that long, but to even imagine him being involved in anything underhanded was just ridiculous now. Look how he had reacted to Kurt silly accusation that he faked reading a book for a book club! Blaine had shown nothing but the highest level of integrity and openness.

But then again, Blaine did have that luxury apartment and car service. His clothes were high end designers, without being flashy. Everything about him spoke of family money. Blaine looked like he had always lived an affluent lifestyle. 

Even if Blaine wasn't involved at all and wasn't charged, would he ever be able to work in this industry again? Even if his father was cleared too, their names were certainly being dragged through the mud. Blaine’s life would never go back to what it was before.

Everything on the internet said investigations were ongoing. Kurt doubted things would be settled in a few months. It could be a year or longer.

___

Blaine slept soundly until around 9:30 the next morning. Kurt had slept on the sofa, not wanting to disturb him, and ended up waking up pretty early. Feeling a little anxious and unsettled, Kurt decided to bake some cinnamon rolls and make a big pot of coffee. Stress seemed to be bringing out his nesting instincts.

Kurt was still working in the kitchen when he heard Blaine moving around, and the toilet flushing. Blaine came into the living room, a blanket wrapped around his body and with terrible bed head. He looked about five years old, with a bit of a lost expression.

"Hey, Blaine. Want some coffee?"

Nodding, Blaine slumped down on the couch. Kurt poured him a coffee, and carried it over with one for himself. Blaine murmured thanks as he wrapped his hands around it, staring into the mug.

Kurt looked him over. Even though he'd slept so long, there was still an exhausted, overwhelmed expression on his face. With good reason. Kurt couldn't even imagine having to deal with everything Blaine was.

"I'm making some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. They should be out of the oven in about 10 minutes." Kurt took a long sip of his coffee. "So, can you tell me what happened, Blaine? You must still be in complete shock over everything."

Blaine nodded miserably. "Yeah... Well, it started like a normal day, and then suddenly there's this guy in a suit flashing identification at me and asking me to come with him. And there are two of our security guards with him. It was so embarrassing, being escorted out like that, in front of all my co-workers." Lifting his hands, he ran them over his face.

Kurt could imagine how horrible that must have been. "What happened next?" 

"They took me into a board room, sat me down with the SEC officials, lawyers, security. Told me that there was an investigation that it would be in my best interests to participate in, and that I was going to be suspended from work while this went on. And then they escorted me to an office downtown. I was questioned for hours and hours. Luckily, I know little about the company beyond my own job, so they ran out of steam eventually." Blaine just shook his head slowly.

"At the end, they mentioned that other people were being investigated, including my father, and not leave the city. I asked if I could take my personal laptop with me, and after the security team reviewed it, I was allowed." Blaine reached over for his knapsack, taking out the laptop, and turning it on to confirm it was still OK. He sighed in relief as the screen lit up.

The buzzer on the oven went off. Kurt got up and took the rolls out of the oven. Dishing two up, he returned to the living room and passed one to Blaine. Blaine gave him a little smile.

After they’d taken a few bites, Kurt attempted a small joke, testing the waters. “At least you didn’t have a big stash of gay porn on your laptop for the security guys to see.” 

Blaine gave a half-hearted chuckle. Kurt considered it a success. 

“I have my niece Katy to thank for that. Last time I visited my brother, she wanted to play on my computer. Luckily, I grabbed it from her first, but I did a thorough cleanup of the memory then.” Blaine smiled, thinking back on it.

“Does your brother work for Anderson Parker also?” 

Blaine shook his head. “No, he’s a drama teacher in a high school. He fought with our father ages ago, when he left to work as an actor in LA. He was in some truly awful commercials, but not a lot else. Eventually, he met a great girl, went to university and settled down. He’s lived like a ‘regular’ guy, paying his own way, the whole time.” 

Kurt could tell Blaine admired his brother for being so independent. “So, he probably won’t be too affected by all the stuff with the media then. Hopefully.” 

“I hope so too. Especially for his wife and daughter. They have never been a part of this crazy world.” Blaine put his empty plate on the coffee table. 

Looking over at Kurt, his eyes looked a honey-brown color in the morning light. “Kurt, thank you so much for letting me stay here last night. I didn’t know where else to go.”

“Of course, Blaine. I’m here for you, whatever you need. Tina too.” Kurt shifted closer of the sofa, putting an arm around Blaine’s shoulder. 

Blaine sagged a little, and Kurt drew him closer into a hug. Blaine tucked his head against Kurt’s chest, sinking down into him. Kurt rubbed his hand up and down his back, holding him tight, giving Blaine the comfort he clearly needed. 

Kurt was happy that Blaine let him do this. He’d felt the need to hug him hard since he’d come out of the bedroom. Kurt’s hand went up to Blaine’s hair, running through the messy curls.

Eventually, Blaine pulled back. “I’m going to make some phone calls and do some emails. Find out what I can from the lawyers and everybody.” 

Nodding, Kurt got off the couch, grabbing the dirty dishes. “I’ll get you some more coffee for that. Make yourself at home here, Blaine. Help yourself to anything in the fridge and have a shower if you want. Do you need some clean clothes?” 

Blaine looked a bit embarrassed. “The authorities have seized all my assets, and frozen all my accounts, while this investigation is going on. I can’t even enter my apartment to get my clothes. All I have is the suit I wore to work that day, my phone and my laptop.” 

“That’s crazy. Well, I’ll look through my closet and see what I may have that could fit you. We’ll figure all this out, Blaine.” Kurt tried not to let the shock show on his face from what Blaine had said. To suddenly have nothing but the clothes on your back, and the items in your bag was terrifying to consider. 

Kurt poured Blaine a coffee, did the dishes, and then went to look through his closet. He found some clothes that would likely work for casual times. If Blaine had a meeting with his lawyer or someone official like that, his suit would have to do. Kurt hung it up carefully, and added the dress shirt to his laundry bin. 

___

“So, what did you find out today?” Kurt asked, taking a bite of his salad. 

Blaine set down his water glass. “The lawyer agreed that I should continue to cooperate with the investigators. They know that I was very removed from any part of the company where any fraud could have happened. Plus I am way too junior. They doubt I’ll be charged with anything.” He gave a little shrug.

“That’s good, right?” Kurt was puzzled by his reaction.

Nodding, Blaine took another bite of his pasta. “It’s a relief to hear that I’m not really suspected of anything. But it’s so strange to have my father, Charles and the senior staff I’ve known my whole life under the microscope like this. They are like extended family to me, like uncles and aunts. To think of any of them capable of crimes like this makes me feel ill.” 

Kurt reached out to place a hand on Blaine’s forearm. Funny how little touches seemed to be a better way to give comfort than any words would be. 

“So, what’s the next steps in all of this?”

Blaine let out a big sigh. “The SEC, who are like the FBI of investment fraud, are conducting their investigation. It’s best to just let them have full access, get it over with as soon as possible. The longer the investigation goes on, the more damage it does to all of our reputations. The sooner they can discover there is no fraud, or charge people who are responsible, the better.” 

Tearing his bread roll in half, and buttering it, Kurt asked, “I was reading on the net that the investigation could take years.” 

“It’s possible, but it will probably be six months to a year. And that whole time, I don’t have a job, don’t have any money, no place to live, nothing.” 

Kurt raised his eyebrows. “You aren’t allowed to work at all the whole time?” 

Blaine laughed a little. “Well, I’m allowed, but no one in the finance industry will touch me while all this is going on. And I’d like to keep a low profile, instead of appearing on the news in a Burger King uniform or something.” 

“Well, you can stay here for now. We’ll figure the rest out as we go, OK?” 

Blaine smiled at Kurt. “Again, thank you so much, Kurt. Here you are feeding me, clothing me, letting me stay here. And we haven’t even known each other that long or anything. But one thing I can definitely do is sleep on the couch. You deserve to sleep in your own bed, Kurt.” 

Kurt returned the smile. “Actually, I might have an air mattress buried deep in the closet. It’s more comfortable than the sofa for sleeping on, since you can stretch out normally.”

“Perfect! I’ll camp out on that. Would you mind if I took a shower now?” Blaine asked, looking almost normal in his expression. It made Kurt glad to see him looking rested and fed. 

Kurt nodded. While Blaine showered, Kurt did the dishes and was able to find the air mattress. Once blown up, he shifted some furniture around to make a space for it on the floor in one corner of the living room, and found some extra bedding for it.

____

Kurt returned to work the next day. Blaine stayed in the apartment, communicating with people by phone and email about the investigation. It seemed no closer to being resolved. 

Things settled into a bit of a pattern for the next few days. After work, Kurt would come home and make dinner for them. Over dinner, they would discuss their day. Afterwards, they would escape their day-to-day worries with some bad TV or a silly comedy. Kurt found he liked having Blaine’s company in the apartment.

And then they would take turns in the bathroom, and Kurt would head to his large, empty bed while Blaine settled onto the air mattress in the living room. 

___

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-Bernie Madoff: A quick 3 min clip from the news when he was sentenced, giving a quick summary, is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV53ArNvgVk%22) He is currently serving a 150 year sentence in federal prison for the $17 billion investor fraud. Prosecutors estimated the size of the fraud to be $64.8 billion, based on the amounts in the accounts of Madoff's 4,800 clients as of 2008.


	6. Chapter 6

Music was playing loudly when Kurt got home. Kicking off his shoes and hanging up his coat, Kurt shook his head. It was still an odd feeling to come home and have someone already there. In his space. 

Coming around the corner, Kurt saw Blaine in the living room. He was doing sit-ups on the rug, concentrating hard as he ran through the repetitive motions. Finishing the set, he flipped over and started doing push-ups, his muscles tight with effort. 

Kurt was frozen in the doorway, his eyes tracing over Blaine's body. He was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt Kurt had lent him, and the fit was a bit snug. Kurt had never seen him in anything like that. The clothes revealing so much, and so much skin on display... 

Swallowing hard, Kurt turned and went into his bedroom instead. As he changed out of his work clothes, his breathing went back to normal. 

Kurt hadn't dated anyone for ages, and hadn't had a lover in even longer. It was normal to react like that when in such frequent contact with someone attractive. 

By the time Kurt had calmed down, he heard the music being shut off and soon after, the shower starting. Imaging Blaine naked, rubbing soapy hands all over his skin, flashed into Kurt's mind. He needed a couple more minutes before he left his bedroom. 

Walking through the living room, he automatically straightened things up. He picked up all the dirty dishes, gathered up the newspaper that was scattered all around and put it into the recycling bin. Straightened the sofa cushions and draped the throw neatly over the back. Picked up Blaine's discarded dirty clothes from the floor and put them in a pile near his air mattress. 

In the kitchen, he spent another few minutes tidying up. The peanut butter jar had been left open with a knife sticking out of it, and the bread was nearby, and not properly back in its packaging. Kurt put everything away, wiped down the counters, and looked at all the dirty dishes in the sink with a sigh. 

Not feeling in the mood to cook now, Kurt called for pizza delivery and pulled out vegetables to make a garden salad. He had finished making it and was washing the dishes when Blaine came out of the bedroom, wrapped only in a towel around his waist. 

"Hey, Kurt!" Blaine smiled his way as he went into his bedroom area. It was in a bit of an alcove, so Kurt didn't see him again until he emerged dressed in a tee and sweats, towelling his damp curls. 

Coming into the kitchen, he opened the fridge door. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure, grab me a Diet Coke." Kurt replied, hanging up the dish towel to dry. He took the drink from Blaine and joined him on the sofa. 

Blaine popped open his beer and switched on the TV, settling on a show about boarder guards. 

"I didn't feel like cooking, so I ordered pizza." Kurt took a long sip of his coke. 

Blaine smiled. "Sounds good."

"So, any new developments today?" It had been about ten days since the initial arrests. 

Blaine shook his head. "Not much going on, really. But I realized that I'm probably going to have phone problems soon. I get billed in a few days and my account is frozen." 

"Can you pay the bill with cash?" 

Blaine shrugged. "Probably, but I hardly have any cash left and the plan is pretty pricey. Maybe I can find a cheaper option. Plus, changing phone numbers will help avoid the media." He kept his ringer on silent, since there still were so many calls from reporters who somehow got his cell number. 

"Tina got a new phone lately. Maybe you could just activate her old one. Just make sure you transfer all your old contact info and everything else from your phone soon." 

The door buzzer sounded, and Kurt got up, dealing with the pizza delivery man. 

"So, any ideas about what you're going to do next?" Kurt asked as he took a bite of his pizza. 

Blaine shook his head. "No fucking idea. I'm only experienced in finance stuff, and everyone I know in the industry is treating me like a leper. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be selling myself on the streets like Fantine."

Kurt chewed a mouthful of salad, thinking. "Well, if you don't mind working in something more menial, I probably know some people around here who could use you."

Blaine brightened up at that. "That would probably work best, actually. The case is still getting so much media attention, and they keep showing my picture. I was thinking of even going off the grid, you know? Try to look different and maybe even using a different name."

"Like a super spy!" Kurt chuckled. The image of Blaine having a briefcases of fake identities and fake noses flashed into his mind. 

"Maybe being stuck in this apartment and seeing all the media attention is skewing my perception of everything. But if the investigation is going to be going on six months or more, I need to find a way to have some kind of life." Blaine had obviously been thinking about this a lot. 

Kurt nodded, considering. "Let me ask around. I might know someone who could give you a place to live if you worked for him. It would be pretty rough, pretty basic, but you'd have your own space." 

Blaine smiled. "Really? That would be so good. And I don't need anything fancy. I just need to figure out the basics of food, clothing and shelter."

\---

Two days later, Kurt was following Blaine and Tom up some creaky stairs in an old building. 

"It hasn't been used for a year. I used to live up here ages ago, before I got married." Tom explained, as he unlocked the door and flicked the light on. 

It was a small apartment, the air a little musty and stale. There was a sofa and other simple furniture. One wall had a kitchenette, and other doors led to a tiny bathroom with only a shower stall and a bedroom with a single bed. It was basic, but functional. 

Blaine nodded. "So, I will work for you five days a week in exchange for this place and a bit of store credit?" 

Tom nodded. "Yes, kind of a barter, right?"

Blaine nodded and held out his hand, and shook Tom's. 

\---

It was strange now coming home to an empty apartment. Blaine had been there less than two weeks, but his presence seemed to haunt it. 

_Well, at least his mess is gone!_ Kurt kicked off his shoes and sprawled on the sofa, not in the mood to make dinner yet. 

Blaine had quickly moved into his tiny apartment. It was clean and he didn't really need much. The kitchen cupboard even had some mismatched old dishes, pots and pans. Kurt gave him an old blanket, thinking he could use it on the bed or on the sofa. There was no TV, but Blaine said he planned to just watch movies on his laptop or read. 

Tom ran a small grocery store, an old mom and pop style one. Blaine worked during the days, bagging groceries, stocking shelves, sweeping the floors. Kurt had stopped by and smiled to see Tom showing Blaine how to sweep the floor. It was probably the first time Blaine had ever picked up a broom. 

Blaine's hair had grown out a little, and he was letting a light beard grow in. He also was wearing dark-framed glasses when he was out in public. When Kurt had asked about them, Blaine blushed a little and said they were in his knapsack, and he should probably be wearing them all the time. 

\---

Popping by the store, Kurt looked at Blaine from a distance, as he worked, stocking a shelf. Wearing Kurt's ill-fitting clothes, and with the glasses and scruffy beard, he was quite unrecognizable from his preppy, businessman look. 

Walking closer, he smiled as Blaine looked up. "Hey, how's it going? You are almost done your first full week of work."

Blaine rolled his shoulders, and sighed. "It's good, but I'm looking forward to vegging out on the sofa all weekend, sleeping and doing nothing."

"Real work kicked your ass?" Kurt joked, but he really felt proud of Blaine. 

"Totally. So much harder on the body than working on computers all day."

Kurt tilted his head to the side a little. "So, I was thinking of inviting you out for supper, but if you're too tired..."

Blaine's eyes widened. "I'm not too tired! Mmmmm....real food after having to fend for myself all week."

Kurt laughed at Blaine's enthusiasm. It was good seeing him looking more like himself. "So, should I come pick you up in an hour or so?"

Blaine pushed the rest of the soup cans into the shelf. "I'm done for the day now, actually. But I'd like a quick shower and change before going out. You could just wait on my sofa. I'm quick."

Kurt agreed, and they headed upstairs after waving goodbye to Tom. 

Blaine opened the door and went over to his closet, grabbing some clothes.

"Make yourself comfortable, Kurt. I'll be out in a few minutes." He quickly disappeared into the bathroom. 

Kurt was still standing at the doorway, shocked. It looked like a hurricane had hit the tiny apartment. Newspapers, dirty clothes, and dirty dishes were all over the floor and every available surface. The kitchen counter was littered with frozen food packages and the makings of PB&J sandwiches. The sink was full of dirty dishes. 

Moving some things out of the way, Kurt perched on the edge of the sofa, waiting for Blaine. 

Kurt tried to imagine Blaine's life. His family seemed wealthy for a few generations, so he probably had always lived in beautiful houses with maids, cooks and gardeners. He'd probably never done laundry, cooked, or cleaned. Even when he moved out here, he probably had a maid service. 

It was so different from Kurt's life, it boggled his mind. When Kurt's mom had died, he had stepped up and done most of the cooking and cleaning. His dad would take him to the grocery store each weekend, watching with pride as Kurt consulted his shopping list and compared prices. If you didn't do stuff yourself, it just didn't get done. 

\---

"So, about your apartment, Blaine..." Kurt started, not quite sure how to approach it. "Um... You know it doesn't come with maid service, right?" He deftly picked up a piece of pepper with his chopsticks, loving the spicy, gingery sauce on it. 

Blaine looked down, a little sheepish. "Oh, I know it looks horrible. I keep meaning to tidy it all up, but when I get home from work, my feet are aching and I'm just exhausted. I keep thinking I'll do it tomorrow." 

He was eating his Kung Pow chicken with a fork, and the quick way he was eating made Kurt wonder if he was getting enough to eat. 

Kurt nodded. "You will do it tomorrow, because I'm coming over at 9:00 am to help you with it. You'll lose the apartment if Tom saw how bad it looks, Blaine."

"OK, Kurt. Thanks again for your help. You are such a good friend to me." Blaine reached over, resting his hand lightly on Kurt's. 

And Kurt could feel that tingling touch for minutes after Blaine moved his hand away. 

\---

As promised, Kurt showed up early with coffee and pastries. After breakfast, they got to work. Kurt was mostly just guiding Blaine in how to do things. Getting him to do most of the work. It was Housework 101. 

A couple hours later, all the garbage was cleared away and everything was clean. 

Kurt grabbed the full laundry basket. "Are there laundry machines in the building or a laundromat nearby?"

"There is a laundromat around the corner. But I've never been there, and I don't know..." Blaine's sentence drifted off, as he looked down. 

Kurt patted his shoulder. "It's ok. Do you have laundry detergent?" 

Blaine nodded, and grabbed it. 

Walking across the street, Kurt passed the laundry basket to him. He needed to get used to doing these things for himself. _Welcome to the real world._

It turned out that Blaine was completely out of cash, so Kurt paid for the laundry machine cycles. After showing him how to fold and hang the clothes, back at the apartment, Kurt saw how few clothes he had. 

"Blaine," Kurt turned towards him with a smile, "have you ever heard of Value Village?"

Blaine hadn't heard of it. After a quick lunch, Kurt drove him there. 

\---  
"How can a shirt this fantastic be only $2??!" Blaine gushed, adding it to the huge pile of clothes in his shopping cart. 

Kurt chuckled as he sifted through the coats, pulling out a 3/4 length brown leather coat. It had a real 1970's look to the cut, and Kurt threw it into his overflowing shopping cart.

He used to hunt the used clothing stores so much, growing up, but lately he was able to afford things new, or at least from the sale rack. He'd forgotten how much fun it was to dig through the crazy outfits, looking for hidden treasures, occasionally trying on the more outlandish stuff. 

Blaine had resisted coming in at first. "Kurt, I have no cash. My credit cards don't work. What's the point of shopping?"

"Blaine, how about I loan you $500. I can afford it and you'll be able to pick up what you need. If you buy clothes here, you can probably get tons of stuff for less than $200. Then we can pick up some socks and underwear, and you'll still have money left over for things that come up later."

It took a little arguing, but Blaine finally conceded, as long as Kurt agreed it was a loan. 

They had fun in the dressing rooms, modelling the clothes for each other, trying to make each laugh. Kurt came out in a purple, polyester pantsuit, complete with bell-bottoms. 

"You should get that for Halloween!" Blaine gasped, he was laughing so hard. 

He was dressed in brown suit with a wildly patterned polyester shirt with wide lapels, the top buttons undone and pulled open to reveal some chest hair. 

"I'm tempted to wear this next time the SEC calls me in. Maybe wear some gold chains and platform shoes with it." Blaine posed in the mirror beside Kurt. 

In the end, they got a good working wardrobe for Blaine, in styles and colours that suited him better than the stuff Kurt had lent him. They'd even found some things for the apartment in the furniture and housewares area. 

Kurt saw Blaine touching an acoustic guitar lightly. "Do you know how to play?"

Blaine nodded, and fingered the price tag. 

"You should get it, Blaine." Kurt said softly. 

Sighing, Blaine turned away. "No, I don't need it. There are other things I need more."

Kurt nudged his shoulder. "Well, if you are any good, you could busk and make some cash with it."

Blaine's eyebrows lifted, and he picked the guitar up, looking it over carefully. Strumming softly, he tuned it, and then played it softly, listening closely to the instrument's tone. 

He nodded, and added the guitar to his cart. Luckily, it came with a beat-up old case that had guitar picks and some spare strings in it. 

Kurt drove Blaine home. They were both tired after their long, busy day. Kurt helped him take all the stuff upstairs. 

"So, I guess I'll see you on Tuesday?" Kurt lingered in the doorway. 

While cleaning the apartment, Blaine had confessed to not knowing how to cook. Kurt offered to teach him the basics, and they had arranged that Kurt would come over a couple times a week so they could cook dinner together. 

Kurt also was glad for an excuse to check in on Blaine. He'd been through a lot of changes in the last month, and Kurt knew it was hard for him to ask for help. But Kurt was happy to do it.

Blaine stepped forward, and gave Kurt a long, tight hug. "Thanks, Kurt. You have been so incredible."

"Um, yeah..." Kurt said, stepping back. He patted Blaine's shoulder. "Ok... Goodnight."

Kurt turned and headed down the stairs. 

Yeah, he definitely needed to get dating again. Just feeling Blaine pressed up against him for that hug made Kurt crave more. It was obvious that he had been ignoring that part of his life too long. Just being around Blaine more, and those casual hugs and touches, made Kurt aware of how much he missed it. 

\---  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-Thrift Shopping: Just for fun, here's a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK8mJJJvaes) of 'Thrift Shop' by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.


	7. Chapter 7

___

Rolling over carefully, Blaine glanced at the time on his clock radio. _Oh good, still an hour before the alarm._ He rolled back onto his side, mindful of where the edge of the narrow bed was. It had been an adjustment going from his large queen-sized bed to this narrow one, but at least he'd never fallen out of it. But he'd come close a few times. 

He was tired, but couldn't fall back asleep. His mind went to where it often went these days, wondering if there was really fraud at the company, how much, and who could be behind it. 

Although he'd only been working at the company three years, it had always been a presence in his life. The senior staff were often invited to dinner parties at his parents' elegant home. Blaine hung out with their children at the country club, playing tennis and swimming with them. Many of their kids attended the same prep school and university he did. 

It was just unfathomable that someone in that inner circle could have done this. Or his father or his partner, Charles Parker. Charles was like an uncle to Blaine. He had been married briefly, but never had children of his own, so he was often included in their family functions, like Christmas dinner. To think that his father, Charles or someone else he knew could be going to prison was just so unthinkable. 

Whenever Blaine discussed it with the lawyers or his father, they said the SEC wasn't revealing the results of their investigation. 

It was so stressful not knowing. Living in this limbo. He hadn't been charged with anything, but there had been no mention of Blaine's suspension being lifted. It likely wouldn't be until the SEC investigation was done. 

Blaine glanced over at the clock again. There were fifteen minutes until his alarm, but he might as well get up. He wouldn't be sleeping more anyways. He pushed away thoughts of the investigation, knowing there was no point dwelling on them when he had no new information. 

Taking advantage that he was the only person in the building at this early hour, Blaine cranked the music from his laptop and hopped into the tiny shower. The water pressure wasn’t the strongest, but at least the water was good and hot. Blaine missed his old shower, with the powerful, massaging jets of water. He had to be careful not to lift his arms too high while he worked in the shampoo, as he’d knock his elbows against the shower walls. 

Getting out of the shower, his towel was adequate, but nothing like the soft, thick Egyptian cotton ones he was used to. Opening the bathroom door to let the steam out, Blaine wiped the mirror and smiled at his image. He’d never had his hair so long before, and never let his whiskers grow out like this. He hardly recognized himself. At least curly hair was easy to handle. He just combed it free of tangles and worked a bit of product into it to keep it from getting frizzy. It would air dry fairly quickly. 

Singing along to Bruno Mars, Blaine went to his closet and pulled on a clean pair of jeans along with a long sleeved tee in a deep turquoise. He didn’t miss the office clothes of dress pants, collared shirts and ties. He could happily wear jeans every day.

Moving to the kitchen, he looked in the fridge and then pulled out ham, cheese, onion and green pepper. Chopping up the ingredients finely, he sautéed the onion and green pepper until they were fragrant, and stirred in an egg. Turning down the heat, he topped the mixture with the ham and cheese and put the lid on the pan while he made toast. By the time it was done and buttered, he slid the egg scramble onto a plate, the cheese all melted. He sat down on the sofa to enjoy his breakfast, with a big glass of juice.

After eating, he quickly did the dishes and set them onto the rack beside the sink to dry. All the food was put away and the kitchen counter clear. 

Checking the time, Blaine saw that he had ten minutes. Opening his laptop, he checked his email. Chicago was two time zones away, and he often had many emails from family by this time of day. Cooper sent him a link to some rude jokes, and Blaine replied, thanking him for the laughs.

Down in the store, Blaine turned on all the lights and made a pot of coffee for the backroom. Tom arrived, and they took a few minutes to enjoy their coffees in peace before the busyness of the day began. Soon, there was a knock on the back door, and Blaine opened it for the delivery man, with his cases of fresh produce. Tom headed out to the front to prepare the till and then unlock the front doors.

Blaine and Tom worked steadily all morning. Blaine kept an ear out for the deliveries, and stocked the floor with the fresh produce, making it look full and appealing. By around 10:00 am, Blaine was helping with the bagging of groceries.

“Did you lose another tooth, Marisa?” Blaine teased the little girl with a long, brunette braid. She blushed under his attention, giving him shy glances.

Her mother Gina laughed as she paid Tom for her groceries. “She was playing with it all yesterday, and it came out right after dinner. Just in time for the tooth fairy, right Marisa?” 

Blaine widened his eyes in wonder, making Marisa giggle at him. “Did the tooth fairy leave you anything for your tooth?” 

The little girl dug into her pant pocket, and pulled out a small handful of coins. 

“Wow! That is quite a fortune. Lucky girl!” Blaine finished bagging the groceries, and passed the bags to Gina. 

He noticed that the customers seemed to only buy a couple bags of groceries at a time, since many of them didn’t have cars and lived within walking distance. Many shopped two or three times a week as a result, and he’d gotten to know the regulars after a couple weeks. From bagging their groceries, he even knew their preferred foods and would let them know if there was a sale on them. 

___

After work, Blaine headed back upstairs. He splashed water on his face and washed his hands, and then changed into a fresh shirt. Putting his laptop into his knapsack, he put on a jacket and a hat, heading out the door with the bag and his guitar. Rushing a little, he got to a busy corner with lots of foot traffic. He was able to play with his open case out of the way of the pedestrians. 

Peppy, fun pop songs always seemed to get the public giving him smiles, appreciative nods and an occasional toss of coins or a bill into his case. He moved from Katy Perry to P!nk to John Legend to classic Beatles with ease, enjoying getting into the music. Often, he changed the tempo of the song slightly, giving it his own spin. 

A cute boy around five years old with coffee dark skin was dancing beside him for a bit, while his mother sat on a nearby bench. She often did this, taking a minute to enjoy the music and letting her boy dance. Blaine made the next few songs ones he’d loved as a kid, ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’, ‘You Are My Sunshine’ and ‘John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt’. 

Taking a break to grab his water bottle out of his knapsack and having a sip, he asked his young fan, “Is that your name? Is it John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt?” 

The boy giggled, shaking his head vigorously. “No!” His denial came in a sing-song tone, with a big smile.

“Sylvester? Benjamin? Alfonse?” 

Again, he got the vigorous headshakes and loud denials. 

His mother stood up, and grabbed her son’s hand. “He’s Troy, and I’m Yvonne. Thanks for the music. He looks for you every time we get off the bus at this corner.” She smiled at Blaine.

“Well, I always watch for my back-up dancer, whenever I play on this corner. We have a great act here, Troy. I think we should plan a tour and have t-shirts made.” 

Troy was giggling as his mother pulled him away, heading on their way home. They never left any money in his case, but their genuine smiles were priceless. 

\---

The foot traffic calmed down to a trickle, and Blaine headed over to Fitzpatrick’s. Going into the café, he waved to Mandy who was wiping down the tables and clearing away some dishes. Heading into the kitchen, he opened the fridge and took out the plate Tina had left for him. 

Popping the soup into the microwave, Blaine collected the dirty pots and pans, and put them into the large industrial sink and filled it with hot, soapy water, letting them soak.

Once the soup was heated, he carried his plate into the café and booted up his laptop. The Wi-Fi was faster here than at his apartment, so he slipped on a pair of ear buds and watched some fun you-tube videos while he ate his dinner. Today, Tina had left him borscht soup, a thick turkey sandwich and a bean salad. It had been a long time since the apple he’d eaten after work. It was good to rest his feet after being on them all day.

Doing a circuit around the café, he grabbed the remaining dirty dishes and carried them into the kitchen with his dishes. He loaded the dishwasher, and then hand washed the pots and pans, putting everything away afterwards. Grabbing the broom, he swept the whole café area, mopped the kitchen, and took out the garbage. Tina had made this deal with Blaine early on; dinner and coffee whenever he did the end of day kitchen cleanup. He didn’t do it every day, but just texted her early in the day to arrange it with her when he could.

In addition to working in the cafe, Blaine was at the store frequently for other reasons. He often participated in the different book clubs, enjoying the lively discussions and reading the wide variety of books. He also came for the nights with live music, and then helped the staff with the cleanup afterwards. 

It was really amazing the number of people who came through the store regularly, attending the events or grabbing their daily caffeine fix. Tina and Kurt greeted many by name, taking the time to chat and catch up. Tom was an avid mystery novel reader and had been a member of that book club from the start. That’s how Kurt had gotten to know him, and knew of the position there for Blaine. 

Even though Blaine had been living this way for about a month and a half, he felt comfortable. He was busy, had meaningful work, had friends. He shared good laughs and good conversations with many people. It was busy, working five days a week at the grocery shop, busking often, and cleaning at the café most nights. There was no point hanging around his empty apartment. He did have a quiet night here and there, reading books for the next book club or mysteries that Tom had enthusiastically recommended. Blaine was now a big fan of P.D James and Ian Rankin.

Sure, he missed the luxuries of his day-to-day life, like having bank accounts healthy enough to buy and do whatever he wanted without worrying about his funds. Now, he had to consider every purchase carefully. His only cash came from the busking, and there were times he played for an hour or two, and the money in his case had added up to less than ten dollars. But having limited funds made him realize what was important. He would occasionally go to a specialty store and pick up some really good cheese, the type Tom would never stock in his store, and ration it out over a few days, savoring every bite more than he ever would have in his past life.

He felt proud that he was getting by, and it was all based on his own work. Not because he was Keith Anderson’s son. Not because he’d attended the best schools. 

All done his work at the café, Blaine sat down on the sofa, pulling out his latest paperback. But his eyes kept being drawn away from the book over to Kurt. 

The store was open for another hour, but there weren’t many customers around. Kurt had moved a table to be near the line-up for the café, and was selecting books from various shelves and arranging them onto the table. Moving back to the cash desk, he looked through the cabinets, and pulled out a clear plastic sign holder. 

Blaine stashed away his book, and walked over to the table, looking it over. Kurt had picked a humour theme, with a printout of ’Books Guaranteed to Make You Laugh Out Loud’ in the sign holder and books by authors like Tina Fey, David Sedaris, Nora Ephron, Dave Berry, and Chelsea Handler placed around it. Comic strip collections of The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes and other similar books filled up the rest of the table. 

“This is great, Kurt!” Blaine grabbed a book of Calvin and Hobbes, laughing when it landed on a page of Calvin making an army of snowmen. “I used to do stuff like this in Chicago. It drove my mother nuts.” 

Kurt stepped closer to look at the book, chuckling along with Blaine. “Why did it bug her so much? I used to build snow forts and all sorts of crazy stuff all over the place.” 

Blaine sighed. “She always wanted the front yard to look perfect, like a picture in a design magazine. We were always having fancy dinner parties, with lots of business guests. Cooper and I could mess up the backyard, but she wanted the front yard to be smooth, perfect snow.” 

Turning back to the table, Kurt looked at it with a judgemental eye. “I’m thinking of changing this table up every week, reminding the café customers that this is actually a used bookstore too. Do you think it will work?” 

Blaine nodded. “It’s a good idea. I came here just for coffee for ages, and never really paid attention to the rest.” He didn’t add that it wasn’t until he was busy with his crush on Kurt that he’d actually noticed the store. 

They had moved to a comfortable friendship in the past few weeks. Kurt had come over a few times to Blaine's apartment to show him some basic cooking techniques, and had given him a beginner’s cookbook. Whenever Blaine stopped by the store, they usually had a chance to chat for a few minutes, sharing funny stories about the customers they’d dealt with. 

But Blaine was still so attracted to Kurt. He still snuck glances at Kurt as he worked around the store, admiring his brave clothing choices, and the way they flattered his slim body. There were days when he wore black skinny jeans, and Blaine could hardly keep from staring. Tina had caught him a time or two, and given him a knowing smirk, but so far, Kurt didn’t seem to notice. 

It was futile. Kurt had said he wasn’t interested in dating, just wanted to be friends. And Kurt had been such an amazing friend to Blaine, there with quiet support whenever Blaine needed it. 

\----

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-Busking: A busking scene from the amazing, awesome, sweet love story, 'Once' is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMqKOt7R_K8) A street performer down on Pier 39, San Francisco, is JH Clarke... amazing clip [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8zqmcMe0y8)

-Calvin & Hobbs snowmen: A video with images of snowmen in poses from the comic strip is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq8iyhMFLYE)


	8. Chapter 8

\-----

“Holy fuck, Blaine! That was so good.” Kurt moaned as he savoured his last bite of the spicy jambalaya, putting his empty bowl down on the coffee table and wishing that he’d worn jeans that weren’t quite so snug around the waist. He grabbed his beer, the cold liquid a perfect compliment to the meal.

Blaine smiled and picked up their empty bowls, and headed over to the kitchenette. He came back with three more bottles of beer. “I also made strawberry shortcake, but we can eat that a little later.”

Snagging one of the bottles of beer from him, Tina smiled broadly. “You are good at cleaning, and now you are good at cooking too? Marry me and be my house husband.” 

“100% gay, honey.” Blaine laughed, looking pleased at their compliments of his cooking. He’d invited them for dinner after having a particularly lucrative day of busking down at Fisherman’s Wharf the day before. 

“Tina, you’d think after being married and divorced by twenty-four, you’d be a little hesitant suggesting marriage even in jest.” Kurt smiled over at his friend.

She laughed. “Well, it was definitely in jest. Unless you have good abs, Blaine. I can’t resist good abs.” 

Blaine had had a couple beers too, and jumping up, he pulled up his shirt, revealing a very nicely defined chest. Dropping back down on the sofa, he laughed as Tina playfully grabbed at him. 

“Down, girl, down. I wouldn’t have flashed you if I thought you’d get all handsy like this.” Blaine batted lightly at her arms.

“We got to get you dating again, Tina, obviously. Find you some nice straight men. And no checking out their abs until at least the fourth date.” Kurt kicked off his shoes, and rested his feet on the coffee table. After such a good meal and a couple beers, he was feeling quite relaxed. Blaine had some mellow jazz standards playing in the background, and candles flickered hypnotically in glass holders all around the apartment, giving the simple apartment a much warmer feel. 

Tina shrugged. “I guess I’m ready to give it a go, again. My hours aren’t as long at the café anymore.” 

“I’m going to keep an eye out for another guy with Chang as a last name. I loved it when your name was Tina Cohen-Chang-Chang.” Kurt smirked over at her, knowing she hated it when he called her that.

Tina giggled at him. “I never even went by that when I was married to Mike. I just went by Tina Chang.”

Taking his guitar out of his case, Blaine shut off the music and sat back down on the sofa. He was in the habit of casually strumming, playing with different melodies, whenever he was relaxing at home. “So, how did you meet Mike, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

Shaking her head, Tina tucked a foot under her other knee. “He was my first real boyfriend in high school. He graduated the year before me, and we split up. But we got back together a couple years later. We should have known better than to get married so young, but it least it ended pretty amicably.” 

Kurt shifted in his chair, saying softly, “Not everyone has that good a run with their first boyfriend.”

Blaine caught the look that Tina gave Kurt at that comment, but couldn’t interpret it. Must be something from their long history together. “I know what you mean. Mine was a really shy guy. It was so difficult to have a conversation with him, we’d usually just end up making out instead. That was nice for awhile, but it only lasted a couple weeks before I got bored of him.” 

“How old were you then?” Tina asked with a smile.

Strumming lightly on the guitar, Blaine thought for a minute. “Around eighth grade, I think. So fourteen years old. I had such a crush on him before I got to know him.”

Tina gave him a playful slap. “That sounds familiar.” 

Blaine glared at her, but she’d had a few too many beers to keep her mouth shut. “Oh Blaine, Kurt knew you had a big crush on him back then. You weren’t exactly subtle when you were staring at him while waiting in line for your coffee.” 

Blushing, Blaine looked down at his guitar. “Oh god. This is embarrassing.” He looked up at Kurt, who didn’t look too concerned about it while he sipped his beer. They had gotten to know each other as friends since those strange early days. “But you were such a mystery, Kurt. I got so curious about you.” 

Kurt scoffed. “What is so mysterious about little ol’ me?” 

“It was mostly the way no matter what time I came in, you were always sitting in the café, so deeply immersed in your big books. And you didn’t really look the part of a typical college student. It made me wonder what your story was.” Blaine was happy to have a chance to ask about this. He was still curious about it.

Shrugging, Kurt said dismissively, “I just like reading.” 

“Come on, Kurt. It’s more than that.” Tina said to him, and then shifted to face Blaine. “What he’s not saying is that when we first opened, we couldn’t afford other staff. So, he was there everyday at 6:00am, ready to jump in to help me at the café if the line got long. I was trying to handle it on my own, so I would tell him to sit down when it wasn’t busy. He was working long hours in the store, and I didn’t want him overdoing it. But no matter how much I told him I could handle it, he kept showing up. Even though he was exhausted, he would just grab a book and sit in the café, pretending like he was there to just read.” 

“And you did the same thing for me, Tina. You’d work a full shift at the café, and then crash on the sofa in the office, just in case it got busy in the store and I needed you.” Kurt smiled over at his friend, his affection for Tina so clear on his face. 

Tina returned the warm look, and turned back to Blaine. “Eventually, we could afford some more staff, but Kurt was in the habit of coming in early and reading by then.” 

“But why all the heavy topics, like French history and Greek mythology? Why not Tom Clancy spy novels?” Blaine turned to Kurt, really wanting an answer to the question that had plagued him since the beginning.

Kurt looked over at Tina for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He sighed. “My father had some heart problems, and my college fund ended up going to cover the medical bills. I wanted to be around to keep him from overdoing it anyways, helping him out in the shop. But I always missed it, and was a little jealous of all my friends who were leaving Lima and going to get their educations. Years later, when I was half-asleep in the café, I happened to glom on to a copy of _Collaspe_. It was so interesting, that it really sparked my interest in learning again. From that book, I got into reading about Vikings and other ancient cultures, and it spread from there.” 

Blaine nodded. “You taught yourself French when you were just a kid. I’m not surprised you were comfortable teaching yourself on all those other topics just from books.” 

“Oh Kurt, we’re all friends here. Isn’t a big part of you doing all this reading now is because you still have a bit of a chip on your shoulder from ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’?” Tina was looking at Kurt steadily. 

Kurt nodded slowly. “OK, I admit it’s probably a factor, even though it’s stupid that it’s still affecting me now.” He looked over at Blaine. “I, um….. my first boyfriend was at Dalton. He was in the closet, but I was so into him, I didn’t care. I fell for him hard, not knowing enough to protect myself. Turns out he was a total asshole, and was always subtly putting me down for not being from a wealthy family like all the other boys there. And he’d mock me for struggling with my homework when I’d been at crappy public schools my whole life, making me feel stupid.”

Tina slammed her empty beer bottle onto the coffee table. “He did a total mindfuck on you, Kurt! He was supposed to be your boyfriend, and he took pleasure in grinding you down. And you were already at Dalton to get away from the crap you were dealing with at McKinley.” She got up, and sat on the arm of Kurt’s chair, pulling him into a hug. 

Getting up, Blaine cleared away the beer bottles, giving them a bit of quiet time to themselves. That had gotten pretty intense. He made a big pot of tea, and carried over slices of the strawberry shortcake to the coffee table. 

By the time he sat back down on the sofa, they had returned to their earlier positions.

Kurt let out a little laugh. “Well, that sure got weird. Sorry about that, Blaine.” He reached for one of the desserts.

Pouring out three mugs of tea, Blaine left them there so they could add their own milk and sugar. He cradled his mug, taking a small sip. “It’s OK. I was the one asking all the questions.”

For the next few minutes, they were quiet, eating their dessert and drinking their tea. Blaine took their dirty plates and left them in the sink.

Picking up his guitar, he started strumming and singing softly. He’d deliberately slowed the tempo of the song to about half the regular speed, making it sound quite sad and mournful. _“Well, my heart knows me better than I know myself…So I'm gonna let it do all the talking…”_

Tina joined in, with a good soprano. Blaine looked up, smiling, and let the tempo increase up to the regular speed. By the time they got to the chorus, Kurt was joining in, and they were all belting it out. Again, Blaine was thankful that nobody was in the building this time of day and they could be as loud as they wanted.

\----  
A few days later, Kurt was sorting the romance section, making sure the steamiest men on the covers were facing out, and the more mundane books had just the spine showing. He knew what moved books after running the business for the last year. He was giggling at the sillier titles, like _Dark Desires After Dusk, Confessions of a Scoundrel,_ and _The Love Bum._

Taking a break from the café, Tina walked over and watched as Kurt rearranged the books. Occasionally, she would pick up a book and read the back, laughing at the descriptions. 

Kurt looked over at her. “So, who was that guy I saw you with the other day?” 

“What guy?” She suddenly seemed really busy, replacing a paperback between two other books. 

Kurt leaned towards her until he caught her eye. “The guy in the suit that you were flirting with.” 

She looked down, but Kurt could detect a bit of a blush. “He was cute, wasn’t he? Do you really think he was flirting with me?” 

“Well, I was working on my side of the store, but every time I looked over, you two were both leaning towards each other. The body language totally gave it away.” Kurt smiled. It was good seeing his friend like this. “Who is he?” 

Tina shrugged. “Blaine’s lawyer. We just chatted while he was waiting for Blaine to show up.” 

Nodding, Kurt gave her a little smirk. “Well, if you ask nice, Blaine could always arrange to meet with his lawyer here. And to be a bit late again.” 

___

Later on, Blaine showed up and chatted with Tina for a while before sitting down at a table with a coffee. He pulled out his laptop, and seemed intent on his work on it. 

Kurt was walking around the store, chatting with the customers, but his eyes kept being drawn back to Blaine. Was it that he was wearing some new clothes? Those jeans looked incredible on him. Or was it that as his hair got longer, it got curlier and Kurt really wanted to bury his fingers into it? 

After about twenty minutes passed, Kurt ended up sliding into the other seat at Blaine’s table. “Hey, Blaine.” 

Blaine glanced up, smiling. “Hey Kurt. Just came over here because your Wi-Fi is faster than the old man connection at Tom’s.”

“How are things going at Tom’s these days?” 

“Pretty good. He keeps me busy.” Blaine seemed a little preoccupied, so Kurt left him to it. 

Going over to the café counter, Kurt walked behind it to pour himself a cup of coffee. 

“I’m adding that to your tab, Kurt.” Tina hugged him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder.

Turning his head, Kurt kissed her cheek. “It must be at least a thousand cups of coffee by now… shit, that tab would be around three grand.” 

Tina squeezed him tight before letting go. “Yup, and I know where you live. So, what’s happening between you and Blaine lately?” 

Kurt sat down on a stool, sipping his coffee. “Happening? Nothing. We’re just friends.” 

Scoffing, Tina took the other stool. “You know how you bugged me about flirting with the lawyer? Well, your body language with Blaine was just as flirty as that just now.” 

“Oh please. We barely exchanged two sentences.” 

Tina’s gaze held Kurt’s. “But you were staring at him since he came in the door.”

Kurt blushed, much to Tina’s amusement. “OK, maybe there is something going on. I’m really confused.” 

“You two obviously like each other. He’s had a crush on you forever. Why not just go for it?” Tina nudged Kurt’s shoulder.

Kurt sighed. “This whole situation is so fucked up. He’s rich, and I’m not into him. And now he’s suspended from work, under federal investigation and barely has two cents to rub together, and I can’t keep my eyes off him.”

Tina smirked. “Maybe you’re just into bad boys.” 

“Or bums.” Kurt laughed, and hopped off the stool to go help a customer in his area.

___

At the end of his shift, Kurt went to the back office to grab his coat and messenger bag. 

Blaine had asked him earlier if he could borrow the office as a private place to Skype with his brother, and Kurt had allowed him to. But that was quite a while ago, so Kurt went into the back room cautiously, not sure what he’d find.

Blaine was still in the office, but his laptop was closed. He was leaning forward, bracing his face against his hands. 

Sitting down on the couch next to him, Kurt laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Blaine. Are you doing OK?”

Blaine nodded, and shifted to be sitting straight on the sofa. He looked over at Kurt, his eyes dark and sad. “We had a good, long talk. Got a lot of stuff out in the open, actually. But it’s alright, overall.” 

Looking him over, Kurt could tell Blaine was putting a good face on all of it. To be going through all this with his family so far away must be hell for him. 

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine, pulling him into a hug, running his hand up and down his back soothingly. Blaine sighed against him, shifting closer. Kurt was happy to be there for him; giving him the comfort he so obviously needed right now. 

But after a couple minutes, things seemed to feel different for Kurt. It was like he was becoming more aware of Blaine, like his nerve endings were waking up and firing. Like all his senses were clicking on. Suddenly, he was aware of a light scent; his shampoo, his soap or maybe it was just Blaine. Aware of the warmth of Blaine’s body pressing against him. Aware of the sound of Blaine’s breathing so close to his ear.

Kurt pulled back slowly, looking down at Blaine’s face, so near to his own. Blaine opened his eyes, and Kurt felt drawn into them. Those thick, dark eyelashes, the rich hazel-green color, the warmth of them. 

“Kurt, “ Blaine said softly. He leaned closer, Kurt leaned closer. Then his lips were warm and soft against Blaine’s. It felt so good. Kurt opened his mouth, deepening the kiss.

Blaine's arms wrapped around Kurt, relaxing into his body, wanting more. Slowly, Blaine shifted on the sofa, leaning back, and Kurt followed him, not wanting to lose contact. They were lost in their kisses. Blaine was lying lengthwise on the couch, with Kurt lying along Blaine’s side. His hands were on Kurt’s lower back, kneading his fingers against him. Kurt had a hand pushed into Blaine’s hair, clenching into the curls.

Kurt kissed down Blaine’s neck, and he was tilting his face away, giving Kurt better access. His breathing was a little fast, and the hands on Kurt’s lower back were now doing more of a tugging motion, like he wanted Kurt to shift more of his body onto Blaine’s. 

Then suddenly Blaine froze. 

It jarred Kurt out of the sensual fog he was in, and he looked up. Mandy was standing in the doorway, looking uncomfortable. _Oh Crap._

“Ah, Kurt…. I don’t mean to interrupt anything, but…” Mandy said, hesitantly. 

Kurt pushed himself up, getting off the sofa. “It’s OK.” He gave Blaine a small apologetic smile, and then encouraged Mandy to start walking, giving Blaine some privacy. “What’s going on?”

“It’s just got really busy in the store, and that guy who brings in all the good books showed up also. I noticed you were still here, and thought you’d like to deal with him.” Her expression was apologetic.

Nodding, Kurt held the backroom door open for her to pass through, and followed her. “You did the right thing, Mandy. It’s all OK.” 

He walked quickly over to the seller, reviewing the books he’d brought in, while Mandy handled the other customers in the shop. But the whole time, his mind was still reeling from what had happened back in the office.

When things had quieted down, he went back there again, but Blaine had left. Hmmm… should he text Blaine something?

_Um….. thanks for all the kissing._

_You are really hot. Get over to my place, now!_ Ok, that was mostly his libido talking.

_Same time, same place, tomorrow?_

Kurt had no idea what to say. Blaine came by the store to do his work in the café fairly often. Next time, Kurt would pull him aside and try to see how he felt about all this. 

\---  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N:  


-'Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed' by Jared Diamond. 

-‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’ by KT Tunstall - video [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQmDUEv939A)


	9. Chapter 9

\---

The next day, it was pretty busy in the store. Kurt loved days like this, when he had to rush between clearing a line at the cash desk, and helping customers find books they were looking for on the floor. It was always so satisfying when someone who came in looking for just one book would eventually stagger to the cash desk with an armful. 

When ringing them up, he loved getting into discussions about their choices. Many books on his personal reading lists came from this. 

"I don't know if you'd be interested, but we are holding a book club meeting here in a couple weeks on ' _Death Comes To Pemberly'.”_ Kurt finished bagging a big stack of mysteries for an older lady, and passed it to her. 

Her blue eyes perked up with interest. "P.D. James, right? I've read other books of her's, but not that one."

Kurt nodded. "It's a bit of a sequel to _'Pride and Prejudice',_ and I found her tone fit the characters really well. If you want to come out that night, there's a sign up sheet on the bulletin board."

As the lady walked the direction he had waved, Kurt looked around. No one was heading towards the cash desk, so he went to check on the guy who had been in the graphic novels area for a while. 

"Can I help you find anything?" Kurt asked, automatically straightening some books close by that weren't shelved properly. 

The customer was probably around twenty years old, and looked like a college student. His jeans were baggy, and so was his hoodie. "Um, yeah... Some one told me about this book about a plague that kills all the men so there are only hot chicks everywhere and this one guy left..."

Kurt nodded and turned to the shelf, finding the Brian K. Vaughan graphic novel, and passing it over to him. "Here's the first book in the series, and we have the rest in stock. They are totally addictive." He'd read them all, and while all the hot girls with guns hadn't done much for him, the story had more than enough plot twists and clever dialogue to hook Kurt.

He could see why the premise would appeal to a young, horny straight guy, but the thought of being the last man on earth made him shudder. It would be pretty lonely for a gay man. 

His customer was smiling happily, and then Kurt caught him glancing over where Mandy was wiping down a cafe table, her hips swaying with the movement. Her long curls were in a messy bun today, and her little sundress stopped mid-thigh, showing lots of tanned, toned leg.

Smirking a little to himself, Kurt left the customer. When Tina had hired the peppy blond for the café, Kurt had noticed within a few weeks that a lot more young guys were lingering around the store during her shifts. She was pretty oblivious to it, just being as cheerful and friendly with them as she was with all the customers. 

Being short-staffed, he started booking her into some shifts in his area. Although she wasn't a big reader, she quickly learned where everything was and would turn to coworkers or the store computer if questions came up she couldn't answer. Now, months later, she easily worked in both the cafe and bookstore, and frequently handled the closing shift. 

Things had quieted down a little in the store. Kurt walked over to Mandy. "I'm going to grab a sandwich and take a break in the office. Are you OK on your own for a bit?" 

Mandy gave him a quick smile, "Yes, I'll be fine." 

\---

Sinking down onto the big sofa, Kurt dug in hungrily to his BLT. It had been ages since his last break. Playing around on his phone, he put some music on, relaxing to a playlist of his current favorites. 

After finishing the sandwich, he stacked the throw pillows against the arm of the sofa and reclined back, extending his legs along the length, as he sipped his latte slowly. His thoughts drifted, considering if he should make a feature table of books that would appeal to Mandy's hovering admirers. Fill it up with 'how to get the girl' books, and the rest of the table with books on confidence, how to dress and James Bond novels for inspiration. 

There was a soft knock on the office door, and then it opened. Kurt expected it to be Mandy, telling him it was getting busy again. But it was Blaine. 

He hadn't seen him since the last time they'd been in this office together, and memories of those moments flashed back into Kurt's mind. Their eyes were locked on each other, Kurt noticing how big and dark Blaine's looked, drawing him in. 

Before Kurt could say anything, Blaine had dropped his knapsack on the floor and moved over to the couch. Leaning down, he captured Kurt's lips, the kiss immediately deep and hungry. Kurt moaned, his hand coming up to push into Blaine's hair, dragging him even closer. 

Without breaking contact, Blaine clambered onto the couch, straddling Kurt's legs with his own. His arms were braced against the back and the arm of the sofa, as he kissed along Kurt's jaw. 

"Oh, that feels so good..." Kurt moaned, his hands moving to his back to urge him closer. 

Blaine was doing a magical combination of lightly biting, licking and sucking along the edge of Kurt's ear. He had never thought of his ears as particularly sensitive before this, but Blaine's mouth was amazing. He practically had Kurt panting. 

Kurt's body arched up slightly at the thought of his incredible mouth on other places. Even more sensitive places. 

Lowering his body, Blaine let out a groan by Kurt's ear as they came into full contact, their chests, legs, and hips pressed closely together.

Kurt loved feeling the weight of Blaine over him. Nuzzling his face into the collar of Blaine's shirt, he inhaled that light scent he'd come to associate with him, and kissed along the skin of his neck, tugging on it with his teeth, and hearing Blaine's moan in response. 

A loud sound nearby made Blaine jump, and he lifted his head, looking around. 

Kurt smiled, and pushed at Blaine's shoulder until he rolled towards the back of the sofa, allowing Kurt to sit up. "It's just my cellphone alarm. My break is up." He grabbed the phone and silenced the beeping. 

Swinging into a sitting position beside Kurt, Blaine reached for his hand. "Shit. I came back here to talk to you, but when I saw you... I got a bit distracted."

Leaning over, Kurt gave him a light kiss. "You were very distracting for me too. But I agree that we need to talk. I'm off when Mandy is done her dinner break. Want to come over to my place then?"

Blaine nodded, standing up and picking up Kurt's dirty dishes. "Sounds good. I'll eat dinner and be able to finish the cafe cleaning by then."

Back on the floor, Mandy gave Kurt a long, knowing look, her eyes taking in his mussed up appearance. Winking at him, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door on the arm of one of her guys. Kurt doubted she ever had to pay for her own dinner or drinks. 

The next hour went so slowly. Kurt helped the customers, but his eyes were constantly flicking over to Blaine. Watching as he swept and cleared away the dishes. His eyes tracing along the lines of his body in blue jeans and a grey hoodie. Unlike Mandy's admirer, Blaine's clothes were fitted instead of baggy. And Kurt had caught enough glimpses of Blaine, in just a towel after showering, to know how good he looked under those clothes. 

And soon, they were going to be back in the apartment. Alone. 

_Just to talk. Right, talk._

Kurt turned away from watching Blaine, trying to distract himself from the thoughts of what they could do later. He wondered what Blaine wanted to talk about. Was it just about them, and the kissing? Kurt wanted to talk about that too. Or did Blaine have something else in mind? Something about the investigation or his family?

Kurt played with the possibilities as he rang up a few purchases. 

There was still about thirty minutes before Mandy would be back, so Kurt thought he might as well start on his 'seduction' feature table. See what books he had in stock for it. 

By the time Mandy got back, he had a table cleared and was starting to fill it with books on the topic. His arms were loaded with titles like _'The Mystery Method. How to Get Beautiful Women Into Bed', 'The Art of Seduction',_ and _'The Way of the Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenge of Women, Work and Sexual Desire'._

She walked over to him, scanning over the titles with a laugh. "Have you changed teams, Kurt?" She picked up the top book from his stack, flipping through it with a chuckle. 

Kurt put the pile on the edge of the table. "Hardly. I figure I might as well give a helping hand to my straight bros though." He explained the idea behind the table, and she was amused by it. 

"Mind if I work on this tonight? I might have an idea or two." 

There was a definite twinkle in her eye, and Kurt granted her permission to do whatever she wanted with the table. He looked forward to seeing what she would come up with. 

\---

Kurt opened the fridge door, taking a minute for a few deep breaths before taking out a couple Strongbow ciders. The whole drive here and walking up the stairs with Blaine, the tension between them had been palpable. They'd hardly been able to talk, everything coming out stilted, so Kurt had just turned up the radio for the short drive. 

Blaine was already sitting on the sofa, so Kurt handed him a bottle and sat down on the armchair.

"Um...so... There are a few things I'd like to talk about, if that's ok with you." Blaine was fiddling with the label on the bottle, looking a little awkward. 

Nodding encouragingly, Kurt took a throw pillow from the floor, playing with the fringe. "Sure, ask me anything." 

Blaine gave him a long look. "The night at my place, you and Tina mentioned that Voldemort guy, and it sounded like he was pretty awful to you. Do you feel OK telling me more about that?"

Taking a long sip of his cider, Kurt thought of how to answer. _Blaine sure wasn't easing into this talk!_

Letting out a deep breath, Kurt met Blaine's eyes. "It really all started at McKinley. I was getting bullied on a daily basis by a bunch of the jocks, and one guy in particular. Things got so bad; I just couldn't handle it anymore. Dalton Academy has a no tolerance policy for bullying, so it seemed like a good solution, even though it was hard for my dad to cover the tuition."

Blaine nodded, not wanting to interrupt. He could tell how hard this was for Kurt to talk about. 

Kurt's eyes flicked down then, and it was several long moments before he lifted them back to Blaine's. "Dalton was good. I got along well with the classes, the guys were friendly, and I joined their singing group. 'Voldemort'," Kurt's mouth twisted as he said the name, "was in that group, and he was really nice to me right from the start. When he confessed to me that he was gay, I was so excited to have my feelings returned."

"So, when did it change?" Blaine asked. 

Looking over at the wall, Kurt sorted through memories of that painful time. He had pushed away from thinking about it, all these years. It was high time he unpacked it all, looked at it all with adult eyes, far away from that painful time of his life. 

"When we were together, alone, he was usually nice to me, acting the boyfriend part. But he was in the closet, so when we were with other people, he treated me like a casual friend usually. But sometimes, he'd be talking with his friends, close enough that he knew I could hear, and they would talk about me. And the cruelest, most biting things would come from him. He knew what would hurt the worst. Later, alone, he would just shrug, saying he had to say things like that so no one would suspect about us." Kurt sighed, finishing off the drink. 

Blaine just shook his head. "So, you went from months of intense bullying to being in an emotionally abusive relationship?"

Kurt grimaced. "Yeah. And looking back on it, I don't even think he was gay. I think he saw that I had a crush on him, and he wanted to play around with my emotions. We were never that physical. He said we should take it slow after all I'd been through at McKinley, but it was never more than cuddling and a few quick kisses."

"You mentioned he made you feel stupid and put you down for not being from a rich family." Blaine got up, and quickly fetched two more drinks for them. 

Kurt took a long pull from his new drink. It actually felt good to be able to discuss this old stuff, get it off his chest, knowing he had a caring listener. 

"Yeah, and there were some really smart and wealthy guys there. I already felt intimidated by them, without my supposed boyfriend bringing attention to how different I was. Making me feel like I'd never fit into their world. And after a few months, I went back to McKinley. I would rather deal with the crap there, then all that he put me through." Kurt looked down, playing again with the fringe. 

Blaine put down his drink. "Kurt, come over here."

Kurt's gaze met Blaine's, trying to read his expression. There was no sign of pity. Just of caring and acceptance. 

Moving over to the sofa, Kurt sat down and Blaine quickly pulled him into a tight hug. "You've been giving me lots of hugs for the last couple months, Kurt. Let me give you some back, OK?"

Nodding against Blaine's shirt, Kurt allowed himself to relax into Blaine's embrace. Let the tightness in his chest unwind as Blaine rubbed his back in steady up and down strokes. 

Tina was also great for hugs when either of them were having a hard day, but it was different having Blaine's strong arms wrapped around him. More of a feeling of being safe, maybe. It just felt good. 

Eventually, Blaine pulled back, sitting up straighter on the couch. "So, Kurt, was all that part of the reason you said you didn't want to date me? Because I reminded you of Dalton students?"

Kurt looked up at Blaine, and nodded. He sighed. "And that's the other thing we need to talk about, Blaine. We're obviously attracted to each other but..." He couldn't think of the right words to finish the sentence. 

"But what, Kurt? You know I find you so gorgeous, so smart, and so talented. I've been interested in you from the start." Blaine took Kurt's hand, stroking his thumb along Kurt's gently. 

Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes, really thinking about it. Why couldn't he just ...

Sighing, Kurt pulled his hand out of Blaine's grasp. "I'm worried about getting involved with you, and then what? Sooner or later, your life is going to be affected by the investigation, Blaine."

Blaine kicked off his shoes and shifted on the sofa to put his feet on the coffee table. He slouched down on the sofa and sipped his drink for a few minutes, thinking. 

Looking over at Kurt, he said in a calm voice, "Well, let's look at the possible outcomes. Least likely is that they somehow find a way to charge me with something and I end up in prison. I haven't done anything, so I don't think it is a real possibility. But I can understand that you don't want to have a boyfriend in prison." Blaine gave Kurt a half-smile. 

Kurt returned the small smile. "Conjugal visits could be fun." He gave a little shrug. 

Blaine gave Kurt a fond look, and then his expression sobered. "More likely is that somebody in the company was doing some fraud and will do time for it. I don't think the investigation would be this big or take this long if there was no fraud. If it's only a few people and hasn't been going on too long, the company will probably suffer a bit, but will eventually rebuild and survive."

Kurt nodded, sipping his drink while he listened. 

"But if they find it was on a larger scale and went on a long time, the company is doomed."

Resting a hand on Blaine's shoulder, Kurt gave time for him to talk it out. 

Blaine sighed, and patted Kurt's hand an acknowledgement. "So, I will either be in prison, out of a job, or back at my old job." 

"But once the investigation is over, no matter what happens with the company, you will have your old apartment back, your bank accounts back." Kurt pointed out. 

Blaine shrugged, not seeming that excited about that. "So, you think I'll just go back to my old world and never see you again? It won't happen, Kurt."

Kurt shook his head slowly. "I just don't see it working, if things got serious with us, and you were back there. Are you really going to want me hanging out as your date at your parents' fancy parties? Everyone will notice I'm not in the latest designer clothes and will think I'm some gold digger or something. And you'll want to fly off to Monaco for the weekend and I won't be able to afford it. And I'm not the type who could be comfortable having you pay for things." 

Blaine chuckled. "Now, are we going to fight about imaginary problems of a possible future? And what if you got a mutt from the rescue society? Would he get along with all the purebreds?"

Kurt glared at Blaine. "It's more like I'd feel like the mutt among the purebreds. Maybe it's just a sour aftertaste from my Dalton experience, but it's not something I want to do again."

Needing a break, Blaine got up off the couch, stretching, and then gathered up the bottles to take to the kitchen. He rinsed then with a little water and put them in the recycle bin. 

Sighing, he sat down again. "Kurt, all I can say is I'm happier living in my crappy apartment, working low paying jobs, than I would ever imagine I could be in these circumstances. I'm making money playing music several times a week. I am around incredible people every day, like Tom, Mandy, Tina and you. I didn't know any of you a few months ago. It's amazing, really."

Kurt looked at Blaine, really looked at him. His hair was touching his shoulders now, long messy curls. He was wearing simple jeans and a hoodie from a secondhand store. He was a bit tanned from all the time he spent outside busking. His beard was trimmed, but definitely more than a scruff. His eyes were that incredible green-hazel, framed with dark lashes and dark angular brows. 

Kurt nodded; thinking about how much Blaine had changed in the last few months. He'd taken a crisis and survived. Thrived. Even just now, he'd cleaned up and recycled like it was second nature to him. 

Underneath his old fancy exterior, there was always this caring, wonderful man. He had never been anything like Hunter. Never would be. And that core person had adapted and grown so much in these months. Grown into someone Kurt already cared about a lot. 

Shifting closer, Kurt looked directly into Blaine's eyes. "You've been through a lot, and you are handling it. Still getting up every day, working hard, never complaining. I think you're incredible too, Blaine."

Leaning towards him, Kurt brushed his lips lightly over Blaine's. And then he pushed him back against the arm of the sofa, grabbing his head with both hands and kissed Blaine. Really kissed him. The way he'd been thinking about doing it every night for weeks. Deep, devouring kisses. 

Blaine was frozen for a few seconds of shock, and then his hands came up to Kurt's back, pressing his body closer, kissing him back just as intensely.

Within a couple minutes, Blaine was flat on the sofa with Kurt sprawled on top of him. Kurt unzipped the hoodie, and helped Blaine wiggle out of it. He was wearing a thin tee that left his neck totally available for Kurt to explore. 

Blaine moaned as Kurt kissed down his neck, arching his hips to press closer against him. Kurt pushed his hips downwards, gasping as he felt Blaine so hard against him. Blaine was undoing the buttons of Kurt's shirt, and impatiently, Kurt sat up a little to pull it off, leaving him in an untucked undershirt. 

Blaine stilled again, breathing heavy, when he felt Kurt's hand cupping him. His pale, long fingered hand tracing over Blaine's hardness. The sight made Blaine groan. 

"Is this OK?" Kurt's whisper was a little hoarse. 

Lifting his hips slightly, Blaine pressed up against Kurt's hand. "Oh, yes..."

Kurt was quick to undo the button and ease down his zipper. His fingers traced over Blaine's underwear. "Mmmmm... You feel so hot and hard. So thick." 

Between that light teasing touch and Kurt's sexy whispers into his ear, Blaine felt even more turned on. He reached to touch Kurt, to run his hands under the waistband of his jeans. 

"No, Blaine, you can touch me later." Kurt shifted so he was on his side, lying along Blaine. "Let me just touch you now."

Biting his lip, Blaine nodded. How could something as simple as those light touches be so fucking hot? But it was Kurt. He only had to touch Blaine's arm to make his breath hitch in his throat. 

Easing his underwear down slowly, teasingly, Kurt wrapped his hand around Blaine's thick cock. Stroking slowly, he let his palm drag over the sensitive head, and smiled when Blaine gasped. 

"Hold on a sec," Kurt moved away, opening the drawer in the table next to the sofa. He opened a small container and put a dollop of lube into his hand before settling back into his previous position. 

Blaine laughed. "You keep lube in the living room?"

Kurt gave him a light kiss. "I've been single for ages, so sometimes the only variety I get is different locations in my apartment."

Blaine would have made another comment, but Kurt's slick hand was moving in a perfect rhythm over him. Combined with Kurt kissing and biting along his neck and shoulder, Blaine could only close his eyes, panting and groaning in pleasure. 

"You look so fucking sexy like this, Blaine." Kurt's raspy whisper was accompanied with a bite to the skin behind Blaine's ear. 

"Oh, fuck... Kurt... "Blaine gasped, moaning when he couldn't hold back anymore, surrendering to the waves of pleasure that overtook his body. Kurt pressed closer, grinding his erection against Blaine's hip as he kept stroking, loving seeing the pleasure on Blaine's face. 

Grabbing some tissues, Kurt cleaned Blaine up, and leaned over to give him a light kiss. 

Smiling, Blaine lazily rolled onto his side. "That was so good, Kurt. Now let me make it good for you." He ran his hand down Kurt's arm.

Kurt shook his head. "Next time, OK? Let's just say I had a strong reaction to watching you just now."

Blaine raised his eyebrows. "Really? Well, at least you are at home, not in the office."

"No kidding. Plus, we better stop making out at work. I can't control myself around you, obviously, and I don't want our coworkers catching us _in flagrante delicto."_

Blaine nodded, and pushed at Kurt's arm playfully. "Get up and change. You need to drive me home. Unless you want me to sleep over and you'll do it in the morning." 

Kurt reluctantly got up. Grabbing clean clothes, he went into the bathroom to clean up. It had been a tempting thought to have Blaine stay over, but it was a bit too much, too soon. Especially after everything they had talked about tonight. He needed time to think and digest it all. 

Back in the living room, he slipped on his shoes. "We should totally stop and get ice cream cones on the way to your place. There's a place with fifty flavors near here."

"Oh yeah... That sounds perfect." Blaine hopped up, and gave Kurt a kiss just because he was allowed to now. 

\---  
*** I own nothing.

A/N: 

*** _’Death Comes to Pemberly’_ by PD James.

*** _‘Y: The Last Man’_ by Brian K. Vaughan

*** All the seduction books are real. I haven’t read any of them. ;)


	10. Chapter 10

\-----

“Toast? For our first official date, you want to take me out to get toast? Seriously?” Kurt looked over at Blaine as they walked down the street, hand in hand.

Blaine smirked back at him. “Yes, seriously. Because it’s seriously the most awesomest toast ever. You’ll see.” 

Kurt gave Blaine an unimpressed look. _How awesome could toast be?_ Blaine sure picked weird outings, come to think of it. A church and now a toast restaurant. Maybe Kurt should take over the date planning, going forward. But it was nice to be actually doing something with Blaine outside of work or their apartments. 

Holding the door open, Blaine ushered Kurt inside. It was a regular looking bakery-café, with simple, white walls and small bistro tables.

Blaine stopped at a table by the window. “You save the table and I’ll be back soon with our breakfast.” 

Sighing, Kurt sat down, crossing his legs. “Fine.” He watched while Blaine bustled off to the front counter, where there was a bit of a line. Looking around, most of the tables were full, and everyone seemed to be enthusiastic about their food. Maybe it was his Ohio roots showing, but he still couldn’t believe a place like this existed, and was apparently thriving. _Fucking hipsters and their organic, artisan, free-range toast._

Pretty soon, Blaine returned with a tray and sat down, smiling. “Mmmmm… smells so good. I’ve been craving this for months now.” Picking up a knife, he started slicing the pieces of toast in half. “I got a variety so you can try a few types. There’s rye with cream cheese and black pepper, country bread with cinnamon sugar, and raisin coriander toast with honey. I also got a side of almond butter to go with that.” 

Adding some milk to his coffee, Kurt watched in amusement as Blaine dug into his half of the rye toast, a look of bliss on his face as he chewed. 

Picking up his half, Kurt had to admit it smelled really good. After the first bite, he couldn’t help but give Blaine a smile. _This was really fucking good toast._ It was warm and crunchy, but still chewy. The bread was very fresh and of high quality. The cream cheese was spread in a nice even coat, not a huge blob like bagels usually had. The pepper was a nice compliment to the rye flavor. 

Once Blaine was sure that Kurt was enjoying the meal, he relaxed and took a sip of his coffee. “I used to come here a couple times a week, back when I was in the office. They make their own bread and everything.” 

“So, is this a big fad right now?” Kurt took a sip of coffee.

Blaine nodded, as he finished chewing his bite of cinnamon sugar toast. “Yes, and I keep trying to convince Tina to do something like this, but she is skeptical.”

Tilting his head to the side a little, Kurt looked at Blaine knowingly. “Ahhhh…. You want me to convince Tina to do it. You think I have sway with her.” 

“You’ve known each other for ten years. If you don’t, who would?” Blaine laughed.

Kurt shrugged. “Your lawyer, maybe. Have you seen the two of them together?” 

Nodding, Blaine spread some almond butter on his toast. “It’s hard to pry Lucas away from her, and then during our meetings, he keeps talking about her.”

“Well, if she does try to do something like this, it will have her spin on it. It won’t be breads baked in-house, but the bakery that supplies our other baked goods might have some interesting breads we could use. And she could play around with different toppings.” Kurt was imagining how it might work in their business, something he always enjoyed doing. 

“And the costs are low… just a toaster, and maybe more staff to handle the work if it takes off.” 

Kurt gave Blaine an assessing look. “Any other suggestions for the business? You have travelled a fair bit, seen lots of different things. It’s always good to hear an outside view.” 

Blaine shrugged. “Well, you could maybe get a liquor license and serve wine and beer for your evening events, especially the music ones. It would be easy money.” 

Nodding, Kurt considered the idea. “And the bookstore? Any suggestions for it?” 

“Hmmmm… is this like asking if you look fat in those pants or something? I sense that no matter what answer I give, I’ll step in it. It’s your baby, Kurt.” Blaine laughed, shaking his head.

Kurt chuckled at Blaine. “Yes, it’s my baby, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better. Please feel free to suggest anything, and I’ll feel free to ignore whatever I deem idiotic.” 

“Actually, I think the store is fantastic. It is way above any used bookstore I’ve been in before, and you already have lots of great events. Maybe the only thing I’d suggest is getting a social media presence. Get a webpage where you promote upcoming events, have pictures of past events, and show results of Tina’s tip challenges. Link it to a Facebook page and a twitter account. Tina could tweet the soup of the day and whatever dessert she makes.” Blaine stacked up their empty plates on the tray, and brushed up the toast crumbs from the tabletop.

Sighing, Kurt reached over and put his hand over Blaine’s. “Actually, those are great ideas. I don’t know if Tina or I have the tech skills to really do it though, and we don’t have the funds to hire some IT guy.”

“Well, I bet one of Mandy’s admirers could do the webpage for you, and probably give you a deal if you get her to arrange it.” Blaine smiled. 

Standing up, Kurt took the tray of dirty dishes. “Sounds good. I’m going to buy a couple loaves of bread for Tina to try, and then we can head back, OK?”

Blaine nodded, smiling as Kurt walked away. It felt good to help out his friends with their business after all the help they had given him.

\----

Walking towards the backroom, Kurt stopped so suddenly that Blaine bumped into him. “What the hell….?” 

Looking down, Kurt scanned the feature table. The table he had allowed Mandy to set up last night.

There was a sign that said simply **‘Get That Guy’.** Books were filled up such titles as _‘The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex’._ Walking around the table, the other side of the sign said **‘Get That Girl’,** and it was surrounded by books like _‘She Comes First: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Pleasuring a Woman’_ and _‘The Bro Code’._

Kurt just turned to Blaine. “Find Mandy and get her to get over here. Now.” 

Blaine’s eyebrows shot up. He’d never heard that tone from Kurt before, but he didn’t question it. He simply pivoted around and walked quickly over to the café. 

It was only a couple minutes before Mandy appeared at Kurt’s side. He turned slowly, looking her over with an arched eyebrow. “So, can you tell me why there is a big table of sex manuals in the middle of my store?” 

“They aren’t sex manuals…” Mandy objected, smiling widely at Kurt. She was not at all concerned by Kurt’s expression. 

Huffing, Kurt pointed to a book. ”Time to check your reading skills, Mandy. What’s the title of this book?”

 _“The Joy of Sex.”_ Mandy said quickly.

Kurt pointed to another.

_“The Complete Kama Sutra.”_

Arching his brow again, he pointed at another.

Mandy rolled her eyes. _“Tantric Sex: The Path to Sexual Enlightenment.”_

He turned to her, leveling a cool look at her. “Didn’t we discuss making a table of dating guides, and self improvement books for men?”

Shrugging, Mandy gave Kurt a wicked grin. “There are dating books on the table too. Look, there’s the _‘Rules’_ book and _‘He’s Just Not That Into You’._ But you have to admit, the table is very eye-catching. A lot of customers have been checking it out.” 

“And where did all the condoms come from?” Kurt waved a hand over the table, where dozens of little foil packages were scattered over and around the books.

Mandy nodded. “Donated by the Planned Parenthood office the next block over. Effective, don’t you think?”

Kurt could only shake his head, sighing. “OK, explain to me exactly why you have all these sex books on a table about dating?” 

“Isn’t it obvious? The condoms and books about sex will grab people’s interest, and if they are single, they will automatically be more motivated to get a partner. Ergo, the dating manuals.” Mandy looked very pleased with her logic. 

With a sigh, Kurt gave Mandy a steady look. “OK. We’ll give it a few days and see the response from customers. But if this offends our regulars, we will have to tone it down.” 

\---

Over the next few days, Kurt was amused to see the various reactions to the Seduction Table, as the staff had nicknamed it. There was no doubt that it got second looks, and a lot of people stopping to read over the titles and flip through a book or two. And they had a fair number of sales from it too. 

On a quiet morning, Kurt went into the café for a coffee refill, and Tina was reading on the stool. On seeing Kurt, she closed the book and set it facedown on the counter. 

Kurt smirked as he added milk to his mug. “So, what are you reading, Tina?” Settling down on the other stool, he arched his neck towards the closed book, trying to read the back cover. 

Shuffling some paperwork over the book, Tina shrugged. “Just a book about time management.” 

Not convinced in the slightest, Kurt nodded along, watching her closely. “So, how are things going with Lucas? You’ve been on a few dates now, right?” 

Tina brightened up right away. “Yeah, it’s going well. We’ve done the dinner thing, the movie thing, the drag queen bingo thing.”

“Sounds like fun.” Kurt nodded along with her, and then leaned over, quickly grabbing the book from it’s hiding spot. Tina let out a surprised yelp, and tried to take it back, but Kurt held it out of her reach, laughing.

 _“‘Sex Tips for Straight Women by a Gay Man’…”_ Kurt read the title out loud, and glanced over a blushing Tina. “Honey, you could have just asked me if you had any questions.” He couldn’t resist bugging her.

Tina scoffed. “As if you’ve had much experience to draw on! I can tell that you and Blaine aren’t getting busy… there’s way too much sexual tension between you.” 

Kurt couldn’t argue with that. Their schedules made it hard to see each other. And even though they’d sworn not to make out at the store, a few rushed make out sessions was all they’d been able to squeeze in. They both ended up feeling more frustrated by it all.

Nudging her shoulder, Kurt passed the book back to her. “So, you and Lucas….?” 

Tina shrugged. “Well, not yet…. But it doesn’t hurt to brush up my knowledge a bit.”

“Well, I saw Lucas lingering by the table the other day, and I’m pretty sure he was looking at that book with all the hot sex tips.” Kurt waggled his eyebrows at Tina, and got off the stool as some customer came up to her counter. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, “Help yourself to as many condoms as you want from the table.” 

He could hear Tina laughing as he walked away. 

Going over to the table, he straightened it up and moved the books around so there weren’t any big gaps. _Sheesh, Mandy even had LGBT books on here._ Kurt picked up a book he hadn’t seen in the store before. _‘Gay Dating 101: Finding Men, Sex and Love in a Complicated World’_ , and flipped through it. 

“Hmmmm…. Should I feel scared that you are reading a book about finding men?”

Kurt looked up from the book to see Blaine standing beside him, and he nodded. “Well, I might just have to read this book if you don’t step things up.” 

Blaine gave Kurt an exaggerated shocked look. “Step it up? What do you mean?”

“So far, you’ve taken me to a church, even though I’m an atheist, and then to a toast restaurant, and that was more of a business meeting than a date.” Kurt’s teasing tone softened his words.

Laughing, Blaine tilted his head to the side. “You are right. I’ve been horribly amiss in my wooing. I will need some time to plan a date worthy of you.” 

Stepping closer, Kurt put an arm around Blaine waist, and kissed his neck near his ear. “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, Blaine… but it would be nice if it ended with us being alone somewhere other than my office.” He bit Blaine’s earlobe gently, loving how his skin tasted and how he smelled. 

Blaine’s eyes were considerably warmer when he pulled away reluctantly. He cleared his throat. “When’s your next day off?” 

\----

Checking his hair for the tenth time, Kurt had to admit to himself that he felt nervous. Blaine had been planning for this date for a few days, dropping little teasing hints that really didn’t reveal anything. And the closer it got, the more Kurt felt a sense of nervous anticipation. When was the last time he’d been on a real date with someone he was this attracted to, someone he liked this much? It had been too long to remember. 

Finally, there was a knock on his door, and Kurt rushed over, but took a deep breath and paused before opening it. Didn’t want to look over-eager, after all.

Blaine’s wide smile greeted him. He whistled. “Wow, Kurt. You look so amazing.” 

Pleased, Kurt smiled to himself as Blaine walked around him, taking a good long look at Kurt’s carefully selected ensemble. He was wearing charcoal grey dress pants with a wide pinstripe in burgundy, a lightly patterned charcoal grey button-up shirt with a well-matched burgundy scarf loosely looped around his neck. The narrow pants were tucked into black ankle boots. 

“But I’m afraid you’ll have to change.” Blaine bit his lip, shaking his head.

Kurt’s eyes widened. “What??!” 

Blaine shrugged. “I’m so sorry, but I should have warned you to wear some really warm, comfortable clothes. We will be outside a lot on this date.”

Looking over at Blaine, Kurt noted his clothes. Casual jeans, a long sleeved tee, a hoodie, and sneakers. Sighing, Kurt nodded and turned to go to the bedroom to change.

Blaine grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Wait, before you go, I think I need a few more minutes to appreciate this wonderful outfit of yours.” And he stepped closer, crowding right against Kurt to wrap his arms around his waist and giving Kurt a slow, deep kiss. 

Laughing, Kurt squirmed in Blaine’s hold. “How are you ‘appreciating’ my clothes with your eyes shut?” 

“I was thinking of using my hands for that.” Blaine slid his hands up Kurt’s back. “Mmmm… This fabric feels nice. Cotton?” 

Kurt groaned at the feel of Blaine’s hands on his body. He just wanted more. “Uh, yeah…” 

Kissing the side of Kurt’s neck, Blaine slid his hands down Kurt’s sides, ending on his outer thighs. “And I must say I admire the fit of these wonderful pants…” Blaine’s hands slid up to his hips and then back to cup his ass. 

As tempting as it was, Kurt knew they wouldn’t be leaving the apartment at all if this continued. And he’d been looking forward to the date too long to give it up now. He pulled back, giving Blaine a little kiss. “Um… thanks… but I should go get changed now.” 

Blaine’s fingers tugged on Kurt’s waistband. “Do you need any help with that?” 

Grabbing Blaine’s hands, Kurt moved them away. “Maybe later tonight…” he said teasingly, before walking quickly into the bedroom and closing the door firmly behind him. 

A few minutes later, Kurt emerged from the bedroom dressed in similar clothes to Blaine’s. Not really sure what would be happening, he had veered away from his tightest, sexiest jeans with regret, and picked ones that were a little easier to move around in. 

Blaine had the front closet door open, and he pulled out a light windbreaker. “You should bring this along, OK?” 

***

Sighing, Kurt was half-afraid of waking up from this beautiful dream-like setting. Never could he have imagined being here…

Kurt had enjoyed being a passenger, as Blaine drove them in Tom’s borrowed car. They went over the bridge, the day bright and clear. Kurt had been very charmed when Blaine had parked in the seaside town of Sausalito. Walking hand in hand, it had been a lovely afternoon of browsing through the art galleries and boutiques. 

Blaine guided them to a small Mexican restaurant, and they sat on the patio with a lovely view of the bay, sharing fish tacos and quesadillas, sipping icy cold Coronas. 

Very content with their date, Kurt had been surprised when instead of heading back to the car; Blaine had guided them towards the harbor. When he waved to a middle-aged man on a small sailboat before hopping onboard, Kurt’s jaw actually dropped.

“You want me to get onto that?” Kurt asked, incredulous, looking over the tiny sailboat. One gust of wind, and the small boat would flip over, surely drowning all three of them.

Chuckling, Blaine held out his hand to Kurt. “It’s perfectly safe, Kurt. This boat is for up to six people.” 

Biting his lip, Kurt was glad that Blaine had made him change into sneakers and comfortable clothes as he jumped onto the wobbly boat. Blaine held Kurt’s arm, leading him to the back of the boat to settle down on the cushioned bench seating.

“Greg, this is Kurt. Kurt, Greg is Tom’s brother.” Blaine completed the introductions as he sat down next to Kurt. 

Greg nodded, untying the boat and winding the ropes up. “Good to meet you.” He was soon guiding the boat out of the harbor, heading out to the open water.

Once in the open, Greg cut the engine and moved confidently around the boat, working with ropes and winches until large sails were in place. 

“Do you know how to sail, Blaine?” Kurt spoke softly. With his privileged background, Kurt wouldn’t be surprised. 

Shaking his head, Blaine looked up as the sails caught the wind and the boat really began to move. “No, but I’ve been on friend’s boats a few times. You?” 

“No. Never.” Kurt looked down at the water as they picked up speed, the boat cutting through the waves with ease. 

Leaning back, Blaine bent one leg and pulled Kurt to settle between his legs, reclining back against his chest. Nuzzling into the nape of Kurt’s neck, he inhaled the light, spicy scent of his cologne and couldn’t resist kissing the skin there. 

Kurt felt so happy. It was wonderful, sitting there wrapped in Blaine’s arms, and looking out over the bay as the sailboat sped through the waves. There was only a light wind, but the sailboat seemed to fly along. Kurt loved the feeling of speed. The boat felt connected to nature somehow, using only the wind to propel them along, without noisy motors. 

As they sailed past San Francisco, Blaine and Kurt tried to identify as many of the landmarks as they could. Fisherman’s Wharf, Coit Tower, and the Transamerica Pyramid building. Greg turned the boat north, taking them past Alcatraz and Angel Island. Other sailboats were out on the water, enjoying this clear day. 

By the time they looped back to Sausalito, the sun was getting close to the horizon. Greg adjusted the sails until they slowed down to a slow drift. Kurt was skeptical when he suggested they lie down on the bow, but the waves were very low. Blaine led the way, stretching out and looking back at Kurt invitingly. Greg gave them a pillow for their heads, and Kurt cuddled up along Blaine’s side. 

It was almost hypnotic, facing towards the setting sun, and looking out over the water. The Golden Gate Bridge was overhead, arching elegantly over the wide span of the bay. Waves broke gently against the boat, a lulling sound. Slowly, the sky became more tangerine as the sun dipped lower and lower, and the sky ahead darkened, the few fluffy clouds fading to a soft yellow shade. When the sun appeared to touch the water, Kurt held his breath, enchanted by the way the waves sparked with touches of gold against the deep navy of the ocean.

Within a few minutes, the red-gold orb had vanished below the horizon. Kurt turned towards Blaine, smiling. “I can’t remember the last time I watched the sunset. It was so beautiful, magical. Thank you so much for bringing me out here, Blaine.” 

Cuddling closer, Kurt arched his face up, Blaine meeting him halfway with a tender kiss. Cupping Blaine’s cheek, Kurt let his fingers stroke over his warm skin and the soft hair of his beard, their kisses continuing, too good to stop.

When Kurt finally rolled onto his back, the sky had darkened considerably. The hills along the shoreline were a dark silhouette, dotted with lights. San Francisco’s city lights reflected against the water. 

\---

 

Outside Kurt's house, Blaine put the car into park, turning towards him. Leaning closer, he cupped a hand along Kurt's jaw and gave him a gentle kiss. 

Opening his eyes, Kurt looked into Blaine's rich hazel eyes, so warm and caring. "Blaine, want to come upstairs with me?" He knew what he was asking. Knew what he wanted. Everything. 

Nodding, Blaine smiled. "Yes, so much." 

Getting out of the car, Kurt was surprised when Blaine went to the trunk and took out a duffle bag. At Kurt's arched eyebrow, Blaine smiled. "I don't want to seem presumptuous, but I brought along this bag just in case." 

Once in the apartment, Kurt turned a couple lights on. Blaine turned him, and kissed him lightly. "Would it be OK if I set some things up in the bedroom? I have some surprises for you." 

After how beautifully this day together had gone, Kurt was very willing to see what else Blaine had in mind. "Yes, that's OK."

Blaine smiled, guiding Kurt to the sofa to sit down. "It won't take long." He gave Kurt a quick kiss, and disappeared into the bedroom with a bag, closing the door behind him. 

Waiting was hard. Kurt shifted on the sofa, taking deep breaths, trying to relax. His feelings were a jumble of excitement, nervousness, and pure desire. It was challenging to just think straight. Soon, they would be in that bedroom, together, naked. Kurt was hard, aching, just thinking about it. 

Finally, the door opened, and Blaine came into the living room. He'd removed his outer layers of clothing, just down to a light grey V-neck tee and blue jeans. His feet were bare and his curly hair a little messy. He looked sexy as hell. 

He stopped in front of the sofa, taking Kurt's hands to raise him to standing. Turning, he led him back to the bedroom. Kurt bit his lip, his jumbled feelings intensifying. 

Blaine put his arm around Kurt's waist, holding him close to his side as Kurt looked curiously around. Candles flickered in glass holders all around the room, bathing it in soft light. Blaine's laptop was open and playing classical music from small speakers. The bed was turned down, looking inviting. 

Kurt was really touched that Blaine had made such an effort, that he wanted to make this special for them. Turning to him, Kurt looked into his eyes. "Wow, Blaine. This is so wonderful, so thoughtful..."

"You deserve it. You are so special to me, Kurt." Blaine's eyes were so sincere, his voice a bit rough with emotion. When he leaned forward, Kurt's eyes drifted shut and he sighed as Blaine's lips settled over his own. His kisses were slow, brushing against his again and again, until Kurt was gasping for breath, his hands on Blaine's shoulders to stay steady. 

Kurt stilled when he felt Blaine's fingers tug at the zipper of his hoodie, and then he let out his breath. He had wanted this so long, and now it was finally happening. It was so intimate and erotic to watch Blaine's hand as he slid the zipper down slowly, and to see the rapt expression on his face. 

Dressed now in only a t-shirt and jeans, Blaine pulled him into a tight hug, letting his hands slide over his back as he nuzzled into Kurt's neck. He sighed happily. "Mmmmm, you look so good, feel so good, smell so good, Kurt. I just want to unwrap you like a present." 

Kurt chuckled. "I usually just rip all the wrapping paper off my gifts."

Blaine bit lightly into Kurt's neck. "That is so fucking tempting, Kurt. But I want to savor this, savor you..." His hands went to the hem of the tee, rubbing his fingertips lightly over the bare skin of Kurt's stomach. Kurt's skin zinged with sensation, and he moaned softly. This was killing him, but it was so good too. 

Slowly lifting the hem, Blaine pulled the tee off Kurt. "So gorgeous." Blaine's whispered words were spoken against Kurt's bare shoulder, ghosting light kisses over his pale, smooth skin. 

Stepping back, Blaine quickly pulled off his own shirt, and gathered Kurt back into his arms. Bare skin against bare skin. Kurt groaned, pressing closer, his hands splayed over Blaine's lower back. 

Blaine sat on the edge of the bed, tugging Kurt in front of him with hands on his jean-clad hips. His hands slid over Kurt's chest, looking up at his eyes. He leaned forward, nuzzling his face against Kurt's stomach, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses all over. Kurt gasped, pushing a hand into Blaine's curly hair. 

And then he moved lower, nuzzling into the front of Kurt's jeans. Kurt's hand clenched in Blaine's hair involuntarily when he felt Blaine press against his hard cock. He was so turned on, aching. _Yes, yes, yes…_

Blaine's eyes were impossibly dark and large when he looked up at Kurt from that position, the desire clear on his face. He moved to press hot kisses against Kurt's stomach as his fingers teased around Kurt's zipper, seeming to take forever to undo the top button, and to start sliding the zip downwards.

Reverently, Blaine pulled the sides of the thick fabric out of the way, creating a frame for Kurt's black boxer briefs. Kurt groaned when Blaine leaned forward, pressing his open mouth against Kurt's hard cock, only the thin material of his briefs between them. His hot, moist breath travelled through the fabric. Kurt put a steading hand in Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine lost himself, exploring, just pressing his open mouth along the length of Kurt's erection, letting his warm breath go through the fabric, letting the material get soaked with his saliva when he reached the tip, sucking and lightly biting against it until he could hear Kurt groaning. Feeling him shifting, pressing harder against Blaine's mouth, his hand more urgent in his hair. 

Then Blaine pushed those tight jeans slowly down his long legs, watching as the beautiful bare skin was revealed. And then he stood up, guiding Kurt to the bed and laid him down, wearing only boxer-briefs, with so much bare skin, his breathing fast and so obviously aroused. Blaine took a long long look at him, burning it into his memory, before stepping back to quickly strip and join Kurt in the bed. 

Kurt's hands were on Blaine, running over his chest, and Blaine let out a shaky laugh. "Hey, remember last time? You said I'd get a chance to touch you later. It's still my turn." He smiled as he lifted Kurt's hands from his chest, kissing them lightly before raising them above his head. "Grab hold of the headboard, Kurt."

Meeting Blaine's gaze, Kurt froze for a couple heartbeats, and then he nodded, almost more to himself, before obeying Blaine's instructions. It was so hot, so sexy, seeing Blaine so in charge, having him teasing Kurt like this. Making him so aroused, so needy. 

Setting his hands in Kurt's waistband, Blaine held his breath as he slowly peeled this last piece of clothing off, leaving Kurt completely naked. Kurt was so beautiful, all long limbs, alabaster skin flushed with arousal, and still so masculine. He was lightly muscular, and lightly dusted with hair on his legs and chest. Blaine's hands explored everywhere, frequently stopping to kiss the more sensitive areas, until Kurt was writhing against the sheets, still holding onto the headboard. 

"Please... Blaine... Need you so bad..." Kurt was gasping as Blaine kissed up his inner thigh, spreading his legs wide, silently begging for Blaine's touch. He groaned when Blaine wrapped his hand around his hard cock, finally touching it directly. His stroke was slow, and then Kurt felt his other hand cupping his balls, squeezing them lightly. Then hot, open-mouthed wet kisses over that sensitive skin. And Blaine’s lubed fingers playing over his ass. 

"Yes, yes... " Kurt moaned, wanting it so much. Blaine's mouth was now on his cock, sucking up the side as his fingers eased into his ass, twisting and stretching. When he took Kurt into his mouth, swirling his tongue over the head, Kurt couldn't help arching off the bed a little. "So close, Blaine..."

Blaine didn't pull back, but just sped up, sliding his mouth further down Kurt's thick, long cock. His fingers matched the intensity, seeking and finding Kurt's prostate. Kurt gasped, his whole body tensing. “Yes, yes…” Kurt groaned, shuddering in pleasure against Blaine, his orgasm long and intense from the prolonged build-up. 

Kurt was still breathing hard, when he felt Blaine brushing the hair off his forehead. Opening his eyes, he saw Blaine smiling down at him, looking very pleased with himself. "You can let go of the headboard now, Kurt." There was a bit of a chuckle in his tone. 

Kurt's eyebrows lifted. He hadn't realized he was still holding on. Letting go, he wiggled his fingers and rolled his shoulders. He felt fantastic, thanks to the guy lying next to him. 

"Think it's time for you to hold onto the headboard, Blaine." Kurt smiled over at him, and after a minute, Blaine returned the smile and rose up his arms, grabbing hold. 

Pulling open the bedside drawer, Kurt pulled out a condom and opened the package. Straddling Blaine's legs, he stroked Blaine's hard cock lightly. 

"Kurt... I don't know... I won't last long..." Blaine groaned at Kurt's touch, twisting against the bed. He had been so focused on Kurt’s pleasure all night, so aroused by seeing how responsive he was. 

Sliding the condom in place, Kurt smiled as he shifted position. "That's ok. We have all night." 

Kurt lowered himself down, sinking slowly down onto Blaine’s thick cock, taking him in fully. Looking down at Blaine's face, he could see how close to the edge he was. Moving really slowly, he raised and lowered himself, loving how Blaine felt inside him. Loving how intimate, how connected, he felt with him.

When he sensed Blaine was really close, Kurt moved faster, grinding down on him, again and again. Blaine's hands went to Kurt's hips, clenching tight as he arched off the bed. “So good, Kurt…” Blaine gasped. With a few more hard, fast pumps, he groaned, finding his release. Kurt wasn’t far behind him, his hand stroking hard over his own cock, looking down at Blaine's face, his sated, half-open eyes, as he came again. It wasn't as intense as the first, but still satisfying. 

After catching his breath, Kurt kissed Blaine's chest and shifted away. He grabbed some tissues to clean them up as best he could. 

Rolling onto his side, Blaine was reaching for something on the floor. 

"What are you doing?" Kurt laughed, running his hand down Blaine's bare back. 

Rolling back onto the bed, Blaine gave Kurt a little smile. He had the mostly empty duffle bag in his grasp. Unzipping it, he pulled out a couple bottles of water and a gold box wrapped with ribbons, handing the box to Kurt.

Kurt raised his eyebrows. What else could Blaine have thought of for tonight? Undoing the ribbons, Kurt opened the box and peeled back the purple tissue paper. Nestled inside, there were a dozen chocolate-dipped strawberries. 

"Dessert." Blaine smiled back at Kurt, when he flicked his gaze at him. 

Cuddling together against the pillows, they fed each other the strawberries between sips of water. Kurt looked around the candlelit room, listening to the classical music, his eyes lingering on the heaps of discarded clothing. 

Kurt smiled a little to himself. The date had been almost too stereotypically romantic. Watching the sunset together, slow sex by candlelight, chocolate-covered strawberries. The only thing missing was a bouquet of red roses. But it never felt like anything but special and everything had Blaine's own spin on it. It all felt perfect. 

Leaning over, Kurt kissed Blaine lightly, and then spent a few minutes exploring his lips and mouth, loving the taste of strawberries and chocolate on them. They would definitely have to experiment with that in the future. 

"Thank you so much for tonight, Blaine. It was the best date I've ever had." Kurt looked right into his eyes, wanting how much it had truly meant to him. "I hope it didn't cost you too much though. That sailing trip must have been expensive." 

"A steal at ten times the cost, if it made you happy." Blaine smiled and kissed Kurt lightly. "It wasn’t that much. I bartered Tom for the car, and I did some paperwork for Greg in exchange for the sail trip."

"Paperwork?" Kurt looked over at him questioningly. 

Blaine nodded. "During university, I had a summer job in a small accounting firm. Did a lot of basic bookkeeping stuff. Greg is trying to get his sailing charter business off the ground, so I reviewed some of his numbers." 

Finishing off the last strawberry, Kurt took a sip of water and moved everything over to the bedside table. He pulled up the bed coverings, snuggling down under them. He sighed contentedly when Blaine spooned behind him, cuddling close. They didn't have to work until the later shifts tomorrow. 

Kurt was starting to drift off to sleep when he felt Blaine kissing slowly along the nape of his neck. Suddenly, Kurt wasn't feeling so sleepy. Shifting back, he pressed his ass back against Blaine, and smiled when Blaine pushed closer, his cock half-hard. Blaine's hand cupped Kurt's hip as his teeth nibbled the skin at the base of his neck. 

_Nope. Not feeling sleepy at all..._

***

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: 

-‘The Mill’ – bakery/café that specializes in bread, coffee, and toast. A video about the controversy over 'Toast' restaurants in San Francisco is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhPrWm-vKSY)

-Seduction Table:   
*‘Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex’ by Sheila Wray Gregoire  
*‘She Comes First: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Pleasuring a Woman’ by Ian Kerner  
*‘The Bro Code’ by Barney Stinson  
*’Joy of Sex’ by Alex Comfort and Susan Quilliam  
*‘Tantric Sex: The Path to Sexual Enlightenment’ by Kavida Rei  
*‘The Complete Kama Sutra’ Translation by Alain Danielou  
*‘He’s Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys’ by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo  
*‘The Rules: Time Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right’ by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider  
*‘Sex Tips for Straight Women by a Gay Man’ by Dan Anderson  
*‘Hot Sex: Over 200 Things You Can Try Tonight’ by Jamye Waxman and Emily Morse  
*‘Gay Dating 101: Finding Men, Sex and Love in a Complicated World’ by Jonathan Cohen

-Sailing at Sunset: If you are feeling at all stressed, a 30 min video of a sunset with waves lapping against a sailboat is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYN73ca02QE)


	11. Chapter 11

\-----

It was an unusually busy day, and Kurt barely had time to do anything but check on customers and ring up sales. At some point, Blaine waved at him before heading towards the cafe. Kurt would try to get over there soon to talk if things quieted down. 

It was quite a while later when Kurt finally walked by the café on the way to the washroom. Blaine was sitting at a table with his laptop out, as he often did to use their fast Wi-Fi. But the laptop was closed, and Blaine was engaged in an intense conversation with a guy with dark blond hair, wearing a suit. His back was to Kurt, so he could only speculate on who it might be. Maybe someone from his lawyer’s office, or a friend from his old office? 

By the time Kurt came out of the washroom, he just saw Blaine quickly exiting the store, already at the door. It was so strange for him to leave so abruptly like that, not even stopping to talk to Kurt at all. 

Shaking his head, Kurt glanced back at the table Blaine had been at, and the guy was still there, now smirking towards the door where Blaine had left. One glance at his face in profile, and Kurt froze. _Holy shit. Hunter._

What the fuck was Hunter doing here, in Kurt's store? Why was he talking to Blaine? Chaotic thoughts whirled around Kurt's head. 

Hunter must have felt Kurt's gaze on him, because he turned in his chair and looked right at Kurt. His eyes widened in surprise, and then he waved at him. 

Kurt's eyebrows shot up, and after a moments pause, he headed over to the table. He had questions...might as well see if Hunter had answers. 

"Hey Hunter, fancy seeing you here. What brings you by?" Kurt tried to keep his voice casual as he sat across from Hunter. Somehow trying to act like it was an everyday occurrence that an abusive high school boyfriend stopped by. 

"Kurt, you're looking so good! But then again, I’ve never seen you in anything but the Dalton uniform." Hunter smiled, a smile that most people would find attractive and charming, but it made Kurt's skin crawl. "I actually heard from some old classmate that you had this store, and thought I'd check it out the next time I had a business trip here.”

He did not look that much different from their high school days. Kurt took in the expensive, designer suit, his expertly styled hair and the Italian leather shoes. A stranger would see an attractive, successful man in his mid-twenties. But looking into Hunter’s light green eyes, Kurt could see they were as devoid of true feeling as ever. 

Kurt nodded. "So, what do you think?" He couldn't help but ask, although he was braced for a biting comment. 

Looking around the store, Hunter nodded. "Actually, it looks like you have a solid business going on here." 

"Thanks." Kurt took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Did he actually care what Hunter’s opinion even was? "Um, who was that guy you were sitting with before? A co-worker?" Kurt was too curious not to probe into how Hunter knew Blaine. 

Hunter laughed drily. "Hardly. That's Blaine Anderson. Maybe you saw him being mentioned on the news in that big investment company fraud case. Although I almost didn't recognize him, with the beard, glasses and dressed down like that. I guess that's the most damning proof to all the rumors."

"You know him personally?" Kurt's head was spinning. 

Hunter scoffed. "His father and my father are golfing buddies, going back years. Every summer growing up, I'd stay at my dad's place in Chicago and hang out at the country club. Blaine was part of the group of guys there, and we'd all play tennis and swim."

Kurt nodded. He remembered Hunter mentioning that his parents were divorced and his dad lived in Chicago. What a small world that their fathers knew each other. 

"You mentioned rumors? What rumors?" Kurt felt compelled to ask. 

Hunter picked up his phone, reading a text that had just come in. "The old gang back home are all talking about the case. Everyone thinks it's suspicious how Blaine has just disappeared, and that you rarely hear about him in the news stories. And now I see him like this. It's obvious that he's in hiding. Off the grid. I bet he's totally guilty and his father is covering up for him." 

Kurt was about to ask more questions, but Hunter stood up. 

"Hey Kurt. I have to rush off to a meeting. Maybe I'll swing by later and we can talk more. Ok?" Hunter clapped a hand against Kurt's shoulder, and was soon walking out the door. 

Kurt sat at the table awhile, just stunned. Hunter being here. Blaine knew Hunter. _And what had Hunter said to Blaine to make him leave like that?_

And Hunter’s theories about Blaine. Was there any truth to them at all? Could Blaine really be in hiding? Guilty? Blaine certainly was avoiding media attention, but was it for different reasons than he’d given?

Customers needed help at the cash desk, so Kurt went to help them. His thoughts still a jumble. 

\---

Later, things quieted down and Mandy was in for a late shift. Kurt was able to drag Tina over to the pub for a drink. 

"So, did you see Blaine when he was in earlier?" Kurt took a big sip of his Strongbow. 

Tina shook her head. "Not really. The cafe was pretty busy then. He waved at me and sat down in the cafe, but that's the last I saw of him. He must not have stuck around long. Why?"

"So, you didn't see him talking with a guy in a suit?" Kurt pressed, hoping to get Tina's view of things. Blaine’s expressions during his talk with Hunter. 

Again, Tina shook her head. "No. Who was it?"

Kurt sighed. "Hunter! I went over to talk to Blaine, and next thing I know he quickly left. I talked to Hunter though."

"WTF! Why was Hunter in the store? Have you even seen him since high school?" Tina was one of the few people who knew that _'Voldemort'_ was Hunter. His other high school friends only knew he'd had a boyfriend who was shitty to him, but he'd never referred to him by his real name. Partially to distance himself from it, make it hurt less, but also because Hunter was so in the closet that most people wouldn't believe it if Kurt said they had been together. The odd time he'd seen Hunter at singing competitions, they had avoided each other. 

Kurt shrugged. "He was in San Francisco on business, and some old school friend had mentioned I had this store. Said he wanted to check it out."

Scoffing, Tina took a sip of her coke. "More likely he was there to check you out, see if he could fuck around with your brain again. But why was he talking with Blaine?"

"Apparently, they used to hang out in the same circles during summer holidays in Chicago. But the weirdest thing was that Hunter said their old Chicago friends think it's suspicious how Blaine had disappeared. They think he's involved with the fraud and his father is covering for him." Kurt was tearing the label off his bottle in messy pieces. 

Tina was quiet for a few minutes, thinking things over. She sighed. "Well, if this was coming from anyone but Hunter, maybe I'd put more stock in what he said. But Hunter is such an asshole, he could tell me the sky is blue and I'd call up ten meteorologists before I'd believe him."

"Yeah, I guess so." Kurt took another sip of his drink. He really wanted to talk to Blaine about this. See his side of the story, his reactions. Kurt had texted him, but had no response yet. 

Tina got up, swinging her purse into her shoulder. "So, I'll see you later. Blaine should be on stage around 8pm, so I'll pop back around the store then to hear him." 

Tina had finally convinced Blaine to perform at their open mic night. Kurt was looking forward to hearing him sing. They had only heard him that one time at his apartment, everyone half-drunk. 

"Ok, see you then." Kurt gave her a faint smile, and stayed at the table when she left. He ordered another drink. 

\----

Kurt went back to the store, eventually.

He had texted Blaine again, but still no response. It was so strange. They had been so close lately, Blaine spending most nights at Kurt's, unless he had to open early. And he usually replied to Kurt's texts within an hour. 

Kurt rearranged the cafe for the open mic night, and set up the microphone and speakers. The tables and chairs were now a semi-circle around the small stage. He set the lighting for the seating area on low, and checked the other lights to brightly illuminate the stage were ready for when the performers came. 

By seven pm, the seats were full and the first performer was on stage. Kurt had extra staff on, since open mic was popular. Looking around, Kurt considered how to capitalize on this. Maybe having more seating on these nights. Maybe serving alcohol, as Blaine had suggested. 

Blaine hadn't shown up yet, and that was odd too. He usually was around for every open mic night, cheering on the other musicians. He'd come to know most of them over the past few months. 

It was close to eight pm, and Tina joined Kurt at his table. She had gone home for a nap and dinner, so she looked energetic. Also, very pretty with her hair in well-styled waves and wearing a red sleeveless dress that was on the shorter side. 

"Wow, Tina! You look great!" Kurt gave her a hug, noting that she smelled wonderful too. 

She sat down, crossing her legs, and Kurt noticed her sexy heels. "Thanks." She smiled back at Kurt, looking very happy. 

Kurt looked her over. She was far too dressed up for just the cafe. "Lucas is taking you out after, isn't he?" 

Tina just smiled, the twinkle in her eye giving away the truth. Kurt was happy to see her this excited over a guy. 

Blaine rushed in, just as the current performer was finishing his set. He opened his case, checking if his guitar was in tune, and then stepped on the stage. 

"Hi everyone. I'm Blaine. And here are a few songs for you." 

Blaine bent his head in concentration as he strummed, getting the crowd engaged at the energetic tempo. He sung well, the hours of busking he did each week had honed his skills, making his performance very comfortable, self-assured. 

"This final song is dedicated to person who is very special to me." Blaine said softly, his eyes finding Kurt's at the back of the cafe. 

It was a song by a famous artist that wasn't that well known, but Kurt recognized it. Blaine sang it slowly, the arrangement simple, giving the song a yearning feel.

  
_Haven't we met_  
_You're some kind of beautiful stranger_  
_You could be good for me  
_ _I've had the taste for danger_

_If I'm smart then I'll run away_  
_But I'm not so I guess I'll stay_  
_Haven't you heard  
_ _I fell in love with a beautiful stranger_

_I looked into your eyes_  
_And my world came tumbling down..._

There was strong applause at the end of his set. The emotions had really come through his music. Blaine nodded, waving at the audience, and packed up his guitar. 

Kurt was waiting for him, pulling him off to the side. "Blaine, I just -"

His words were cut off by Blaine's kiss, hard against his mouth. "Kurt, can we get out of here? I really want to be alone with you." Blaine's eyes were so dark and intense. A shiver went through Kurt's body. 

Kurt glanced around, seeing that his staff had things under control. He caught Tina's eye, and she nodded at him in understanding. 

Pulling Blaine along, Kurt went to the back of the store, grabbing his messenger bag from the office and leaving from the back door. 

There was a quiet intensity coming from Blaine, and Kurt could feel the tension in the car as he drove them back to his place. It shut down all talking. 

In the apartment, Blaine was pulling Kurt into the bedroom as soon as he had put down his bag. 

Blaine pulled Kurt close, his hands all over, pushing under his open coat to press his hands against Kurt's back. His lips pressed hard against Kurt's mouth, and then he was kissing down Kurt's neck. 

Kurt moaned at the onslaught. Never before had Blaine been like this, all frantic and needy. It was hot. Kurt went with it, kissing Blaine back with his own rising passion, pushing Blaine's coat off with eager hands. 

Somehow, they had quickly stripped each other, and they were on the bed, Kurt moaning as Blaine's mouth and hands worked down his chest. He was already rock hard when Blaine stroked his cock, and then licked over the tip, making Kurt groan. 

"Kurt, I need you. Want you so fucking much. Want to feel you inside me." Blaine looked up at Kurt, his eyes so dark. 

Nodding, Kurt reached down to cup Blaine's face. “I want you too, so much.” His voice was a bit breathless, and rough. 

Blaine turned his face into Kurt's hand, placing a soft kiss in his palm, and then holding Kurt's gaze as he gave a soft bite into the skin below his thumb. 

Crawling up the bed, Blaine leaned over to the nightstand and then passed the lube and a condom to Kurt. He laid down on his stomach beside Kurt, his body full of the coiled tension of his arousal. Kurt fumbled with the lube, hurrying to pour some on his fingers. 

Blaine was incredibly responsive to Kurt's touch, arching his hips up as Kurt prepped him, the muscles of his bare back clenching when Kurt's fingers rubbed over his prostate. Blaine was moaning harshly, his breathing fast, by the time Kurt pulled his fingers away, and put on the condom. 

Kurt kissed the back of his neck. "Like this, baby, or do you want to flip over?" 

Raising to his knees, with his head still against the bed, Blaine turned to look at Kurt. "Like this, please… I want you so bad, Kurt. Need it hard, deep." 

Kurt couldn't resist his plea, so turned on. His hands traced over the beautiful curve of Blaine's ass as he knelt behind him, pushing his hips forward, working into Blaine's tight heat. Blaine was soon pushing back with every thrust, moaning. 

"Yes... So good... Hard and fast..." Blaine's voice was rough, and Kurt's arousal twisted higher. His hips were snapping hard, hitting Blaine's ass with each stroke, grinding deep. 

It was so hot, Kurt was moaning. Blaine was so sexy, felt so good, Kurt was gasping as he pressed deep, leaning over Blaine's back to bite into his neck. "Blaine, Blaine..." Kurt couldn't hold back anymore. Grabbing Blaine's hips, his fingers dug in as he came, crying out with pleasure. 

Falling to the side, Kurt got rid of the condom, still breathing hard. Blaine rolled on to his back, his hand stroking his cock quickly. Kurt could tell he was close. Moving closer, Kurt pushed his hand away and took Blaine in his mouth, taking him deep. Blaine sighed, his hand pushing into Kurt's hair. 

Kurt wanted nothing but Blaine's pleasure. Sucking hard and deep, he went right into a fast rhythm, feeling rewarded by Blaine's hand clenching in his hair and the way his body rose up off the bed. "Yes... Just like that..." Blaine groaned, bucking his hips when Kurt swiped his tongue around the head. 

Knowing Blaine was right on the edge, Kurt sucked and licked hard on the tip, and moved his hand in firm fast strokes. With a cry, Blaine raised his hips, tensing, and then shook as he filled Kurt's mouth with shot after shot. 

Blaine sagged back on the bed, boneless, still panting from the intensity of his orgasm. He patted a hand against Kurt's shoulder, silently thanking him, as Kurt shifted to snuggle against his side. 

After they'd cooled down, Kurt pulled the covers up over them. He still wanted to talk, but knew it could wait for the morning when they were both more awake. Blaine spooned around Kurt, holding him tight as they drifted off to sleep.

\---

The next morning, Kurt woke up alone in his bed. 

But there was a note:  
  
_**Kurt,**_  
_**So sorry for leaving like this.**_  
_**Please give my goodbyes to Tom and Tina -**_  
_**I'll be in touch as soon as I can.**_  
_**B**_

In shock, Kurt dropped the note and grabbed clothes from the floor, pulling them on quickly. There was no sign on Blaine anywhere in the apartment. 

Kurt shoved his phone and wallet into his pockets, and ran down the steps. It was a quick drive over to Blaine's apartment. He ran up the steps, halting when he got to the top and saw the door was slightly open. 

The apartment was back to how it looked the first day. Every sign of Blaine gone. The closet empty. Everything clean and ready for the next person to move in. 

Dropping onto the sofa, Kurt pushed his hands into his messy hair. With shaking hands, he pulled out his phone. Still no messages from Blaine. 

He texted another message, begging him to reply, needing to know what had happened, where he had gone. Offering any kind of help. 

After hesitating, Kurt added a line...  
**Even if you're in some kind of trouble, Blaine, I want to help you... –K**

\---

Days passed, with no word from Blaine. Kurt dragged himself to work, going through the motions like a zombie. Tina and the rest of the staff took up the slack. 

After Tina dragged Kurt into the backroom for a quick talk, she was just as shocked as he was. She called Lucas and begged him for Blaine's location. He couldn’t say anything, due to attorney client privilege. He could only say if Blaine was in contact with the firm, he'd pass along that they were worried and wanted him to contact them. 

Kurt was home alone when he wasn't at work. He replayed every moment with Blaine in his head, trying to reinterpret every word, every action. Could he have been totally wrong about Blaine? Had Blaine been guilty the whole time? Hiding out anonymously, preying on the kindness of Kurt, Tina and Tom?

The way he acted ever since Hunter showed up reinforced that. Maybe he knew Hunter could reveal his whereabouts. His only choice was to run. 

Even with the shitty way he'd left, Kurt was still worried about him. He didn't have access to his accounts still, so he only had whatever cash he'd saved from busking and his meager possessions that would probably fit into a duffle bag. Kurt pictured him having to sleep on a park bench, being robbed or attacked. He didn't have the street smarts to handle that. 

But what played most in Kurt's mind was wondering who Blaine really was. Was he just a wealthy investment banker, being groomed to take over the business? The scruffy grocery store worker and musician? A criminal, hiding out and running when he was recognized? Did Kurt really know him at all? Or was Blaine just a beautiful stranger? 

\---  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: _Beautiful Stranger_ by Madonna - video [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgeV23orVx0)


	12. Chapter 12

\---  
Ten days later, Tina took Kurt into the back office, and sat him down on the sofa. Bringing up a screen on her laptop, she turned it to Kurt, her eyes enormous. 

The headlines read _**FRAUD HEARINGS START.**_ Kurt skipped the article and his eyes zoomed right to the grainy photo of a bunch of people heading into a building, all dressed in suits. And amongst them, there was Blaine. 

His beard and glasses were gone, his hair trimmed short, and looking every inch the son of an investment banker. He was even smiling slightly in the picture, turned to look at the tall man walking beside him. 

And Tina was there to hug Kurt tight as he crumbled, a mess of emotions crashing over him. Relief warred with hurt and anger. 

\-----

Kurt still checked for news on the hearing in the news every night on the web, hunting hard for any mention or picture of Blaine. He reviewed them critically, trying to figure out who Blaine really was. 

Since he'd left, there had been only one email from Blaine to Kurt:

**_  
Kurt,_ **

**_You have probably seen that the hearing has started, and it could go on for months. I'm so sorry I couldn't talk to you about it, but the lawyers swore me to secrecy._ **

**_The days are long here, sitting in the hearings, meetings with the lawyers, supporting my family. The stress of everything has taken its toll on my father, and I'm very afraid for his health. I'm trying to ease things off him as much as I can._ **

**_Please know that you are often in my thoughts, and I hope I haven't destroyed everything we had._ **

**_I want to be there soon, to explain everything, and I can only hope you will understand._ **

**_With all my heart,_**  
_**Blaine**_  


Kurt had replied, asking for more information, but there had been no reply. This vague email was almost as bad as getting nothing. If he was always in Blaine's thoughts, why wasn't Blaine sharing this with Kurt? Letting Kurt be there for him? Why couldn't he just keep in contact better?

It was so frustrating. Kurt just had to push all of it to the side, and get on with his life.

\----

Taking the pop can out of Kurt’s hand, Tina set it on the coffee table. “Kurt, lean back and just talk to me, OK?” She tugged on his shoulder until he relented, and stretched out on the sofa, resting his head in her lap. 

Kurt closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Tina. I know I haven’t been pulling my weight at the store lately. I’ll try to get more to my normal self.” 

Brushing her fingers through his hair, Tina shook her head. “I’m not worried about the store, Kurt, but I am worried about you.”

Opening up his stormy blue-grey eyes, Kurt searched Tina’s dark, concerned gaze, and sighed. “I am just so confused, Tina. Lost.”

“So, Blaine hasn’t contacted you since that email?

Kurt shook his head. “No, nothing.” And it was so frustrating. Why had he left? What was he doing now? So many unanswered questions. 

“Don’t tell me you are actually considering that bullshit that Hunter was spreading? He’s like Iago, planting bad ideas in your head.” Tina tapped on his temple.

Kurt chewed on his bottom lip lightly. “Ah, well…. No.” His tone was not too convincing. “Blaine says he was sworn to secrecy by the lawyers, and that he’ll explain everything soon. But what can he say that will change anything?” 

Playing with Kurt’s hair, Tina was quiet for a minute, thinking. “Are you saying you wouldn’t take him back if he showed up? That you don’t care about him anymore?” 

“Seeing him all cleaned up, back in a suit, and with his family in those news stories… it all just shows he has gone back to that world. It’s where he belongs, Tina. And I don’t fit in there.” Kurt closed his eyes, trying not to tear up.

Tina shook her head. "I saw the way he was looking at you when he sang 'Beautiful Stranger', Kurt. He really cares about you."

Scoffing, Kurt blinked up at Tina. "It's hopeless. Time to move on. My fling with the rich guy is over. He's done slumming now, and he's back to his regular life."

Laying down on the sofa alongside Kurt, Tina wrapped her arms tight around him. He tucked his face against her shoulder, and hugged her back just as tightly. It hurt so much, but it was hopeless to continue to hold his breath for some unrealistic future with Blaine. He needed to face up to reality. He would just be hurt again later if he didn’t.

\---

After that, the store did better than ever. Seeking distraction, Kurt was throwing all his energy into it, working long hours. He scrubbed, painted, rearranged, giving it a fresh, updated look. He hunted for furniture options and ended up finding some stools at a good price. They stacked well in the back room, easy to pull out for extra seating on music nights. 

Remembering Blaine's suggestions, he discussed them with Tina and Mandy. Mandy was eager to work on the social media profile for the store, and Tina was experimenting with toast and other menu options. Kurt worked on the liquor license and pricing for it.

Within a few weeks, they were looking at hiring more staff to help handle the increased business. Kurt was going on small road trips to buy lots from estate sales and closing stores, to ensure they had enough stock of books on hand. 

Even though he was pleased at the results of his work, Kurt would still lie awake most nights, physically tired, but still thinking about Blaine. 

And even though he wasn't admitting to anyone, Kurt missed him. 

\--- 

**FRAUDSTERS FEMME FATALE...**  
**Charles Parker charged...**  
**SEX SCANDAL...**  
**Swiss Bank Accounts...**

Kurt read over the news article, shocked at the revelations. Keith Anderson's partner had confessed to being behind everything, with input from a senior staffer Tanis Penford and a handful of others. He and Tanis were secretly involved for the last six years, and the criminal activity started five years ago. Moving funds from inactive accounts, faking documents, embezzling to Swiss bank accounts. 

When the SEC was closing in, Charles had cut a deal with them. He was still on the hook and would serve time, but a lesser sentence for testifying. Five other people were convicted. The Andersons were cleared of all charges. 

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. Blaine was free, clear, now. So was his father. 

But what would the future hold? Charles Parker was serving time, Keith Anderson's health was poor from the stress of everything. Was Blaine going to have to step up in a leadership position in the company? Would he have to stay in Chicago?

\---

It was another long month of little news. The newspaper and websites had lost interest now that the investigation was resolved. 

Kurt was taking a break in his office, sipping a latte when Tina entered, carrying a beautiful vase of red roses. 

"Are those from Lucas, Tina? They are lovely." Kurt got up, and pushed his face into the blooms to inhale their light scent. 

Tina smirked. "No, they are for you." She pointed to the envelope with his name on it. 

Kurt's brow dipped as he grabbed the envelope and opened it. Instead of a tiny card like arrangements usually had, this was a full size envelope, with a card and papers inside. Kurt's hands shook as he looked it over. 

Tina watched with unhidden curiosity. 

"It's from Blaine," Kurt glanced up at Tina, his expression confused. "He's in San Francisco and he wants me to meet him to talk." He waved a piece of paper, giving a half-laugh. "This is a map to the location!"

Kurt sunk down on the sofa, still clutching all the paper. Tina pulled them away and put it all on the coffee table, taking his hands in hers. 

"So, will you do it? Meet with him?" Tina asked softly. 

Kurt but his lip, trying to control his emotions. Hearing from Blaine like this, after so long, it was overwhelming. 

Who would he be meeting? Blaine, the rich businessman who is stepping in to run a nation-wide investment firm? Or Blaine, the grocery-bagger, the busker? 

Kurt looked over at the flowers. They sent a message. They were a romantic gesture. Blaine wouldn't have sent flowers if he just wanted to meet as friends. 

How did Kurt even feel about Blaine after all this time? They hadn't even called each other boyfriends back then, had never confessed their feelings. And Kurt had been so quick to doubt everything, after a few comments from Hunter. If he truly loved Blaine, could he have doubted him like that?

"Tina, I'm so confused about everything. I don't know what to do." Kurt leaned his head against her shoulder, and she hugged him tight. 

Letting out a big sigh, Tina pulled back. "Kurt, I don't want you getting hurt again, but I think you have to go. Hear what he has to say. For the sake of closure, if not anything else. Can you imagine how you'd be kicking yourself if you didn't go, didn't find out what his explanations are? You'd die of curiosity. Or I will, at least." 

Kurt gave a half-hearted laugh, and picked up the papers. "Ok, I'll go to save you from that fate." 

\----  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.


	13. Chapter 13

\-----

Kurt looked down at the printout Blaine had given him, making sure he'd parked in the right spot. Nodding, he got out and locked up. 

Looking down, he made a face at his clothes. Blaine's instructions were to wear old clothes and hiking boots, if he had them. And a hat. 

Kurt sighed. _What did Blaine have in mind for this meeting?_

Following the map, Kurt walked through the park, noticing a lot of people were coming and going from the same direction he was heading. 

The coastal trail was fairly steep at times, and Kurt climbed, hearing the sounds of the crashing waves nearby. Coming around a corner, there was a large flat area, edged by a cliff down to a rocky shoreline. The Golden Gate Bridge was off in the foggy distance, across the bay. 

The flat area was full of people of all ages, moving back and forth with purpose. Kurt looked down at his map. Yes, he was in the right place. 

A man nearby straightened up, stretching his back. Blaine. He was dressed in old torn jeans, a dusty black sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up, and a Chicago Cubs baseball cap on his head. He looked amazing. 

As if sensing Kurt's gaze, Blaine turned his way and smiled. Kurt's heart squeezed in his chest at that. No sense denying he had feelings for this man. But what were they?

Blaine jogged over, looking completely relaxed and young. "Kurt, you came. Great!" He reached out and hugged Kurt tight. 

Kurt tensed up at being in Blaine's arms, but after a few seconds, forced himself to relax. It was just a friendly hug. _Chill._ Kurt let out a held breath. 

"Um... So what's going on here?" Kurt stepped back, waving at all the people. 

Blaine turned back to the scene, smiling. "Isn't it great? These are all people who just showed up to help. I think we'll finish it up in one day." 

"Finish what?" Kurt tried to make sense of what the people were doing, carrying rocks around and placing them on the dirt.

Laughing, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and tugged him up a steep path. After climbing a little while, he turned and looked back down. "There, turn around, Kurt. Can you see it?"

Giving Blaine a bit of a glare for not just answering his questions directly, Kurt looked down at the flat area. He squinted his eyes like he was looking at a magic eye picture or something, and then suddenly he saw it. He gasped. 

"They are making a labyrinth?" Kurt's voice was soft with wonder. 

Blaine nodded. "Rebuilding it, actually. An artist originally put it here about ten years ago, but vandals keep messing around with it. This summer was the worst, apparently, with every single rock thrown into the sea. But you can still make out the pattern." He glanced over to Kurt. “Something so beautiful is worth the work to rebuild it.”

Kurt just shook his head in amazement. "And all these people?" 

Shrugging, Blaine took a sip from his water bottle. "All volunteers. So, do you want to help out? If not, you can wait here. I'll be done in an hour or so." 

Chuckling, Kurt walked back down the path. "As if I could sit around watching after you told me that story."

Blaine just smiled as he introduced him to the organizer and a few people, and they got to work, hauling rocks in place. It was dirty, dusty work, but rewarding as the labyrinth pattern emerged more and more clearly. 

The volunteers kept coming, replacing the ones that were leaving. 

Blaine grabbed a couple large bottles of cold water and some sandwiches from a cooler set up for volunteers. "Kurt, let's take a break for a bit, OK?"

Kurt dusted his hands off on his pants. He was sweaty and probably streaked with dirt on his face. Oh well. Blaine wasn't that clean either. 

They hiked up the hill, finding a shady spot the overlooked the labyrinth and the breathtaking ocean views. 

"No wonder this park is called 'Land's End'." Kurt took a long refreshing sip of his water, and dug into his egg salad sandwich. 

Blaine nodded in agreement, eating his lunch. 

Kurt kept sneaking glances at Blaine, trying to get used to his appearance now. It was a strange mix-up of the Blaine he'd known originally, with the short hair and clean-shaven jawline, with Blaine later on, wearing old clothes and looking a bit messy. 

After finishing their sandwiches, Blaine sighed. "You know, my dad was in Northwestern Memorial Hospital a fair bit during the hearings. There was a lot of waiting around there. And by pure chance, I heard that the cathedral nearby had a labyrinth, outside on their grounds. I can't tell you how many times I walked it. Even when Dad was doing better, I'd stop there at least once a day to walk and think."

He glanced over at Kurt. "No matter how crazy things got there, walking the labyrinth calmed me down. It always reminded me of you, of that time at Grace Cathedral." 

Kurt smiled, remembering that beautiful church, the candles and soft music. Thinking back on those early simple days when they were just becoming friends. 

Blaine looked back down at the labyrinth. "Walking the path reminded me I'd get through this, and I would get back to my life here. Because being in Chicago, with my family, no longer feels like home to me."

Kurt met his eyes, full of questions, but wanting to hear Blaine's side of things first. 

"Being in San Francisco, but since I was suspended especially... That feels more real to me. I was more alive. Living my life, not just the life my parents think I should. Being in Chicago, around my parents' old friends I've known forever, I felt like an outsider. So many of them are just snobs, unable to see beyond their small social circle. I really talked to people, got to know them, and there are some good people there." Blaine looked over at Kurt.

"So, is your father healthy enough to go back to the company?" Kurt needed to know. 

Blaine shook his head. "If the company wasn't such a mess, maybe. But it needs too much rebuilding. He will stay on as the head until the board picks someone else." 

"And are you working there again? Business like normal?" Kurt finally asked what he was most curious about. 

Blaine took a big breath, letting it out slowly, looking out at the view. "Nope. I quit. I'm officially a bum."

Kurt laughed, and nudged his shoulder. "I think Tom would take you back, if you want."

"Well, it's good to know, but I'm thinking of starting a business. Ever hear of micro-lending?" 

Shaking his head, Kurt sipped his water. 

"Basically, it's doing small loans for people who wouldn't normally qualify for a bank loan. Banks want collateral, perfect credit histories, things like that. Look at Tom. He wants to expand to the unit next to his, but even though he's been in business for decades, he doesn't qualify." Blaine eyes looked excited, engaged. 

Kurt grinned, enjoying seeing how passionate Blaine was about the topic. "So, you are going to give people loans out of your own pocket, then?"

Blaine shook his head. "One of my dad's old friends is interested in the idea, and he knows a few other people who may be interested in investing in it."

"Wow. That's great, Blaine. Good for you." Kurt smiled. 

Blaine's expression quieted, and he turned to Kurt. "It's all because of you, Kurt. Because you were there, every step of the way. Even when I was in Chicago, I was thinking of you everyday."

"Me?! What did I do? I was just your friend, Blaine." Kurt shook his head. 

Blaine took Kurt's hand in his, stroking his thumb back and forth along his skin. "You were there when nobody else was, letting me stay at your place, no questions asked. You helped find me a way to be independent. You pushed me to learn how to take care of myself, for the first time in my life. You showed me how you got through all the crappy high school stuff and just carried on. You always treated me with dignity and respect, even when I was at my lowest." 

Kurt smirked, "Except that time when I called you a Faker."

Blaine returned the smile. "I was a bit of a pompous asshole back then. You shook me out of my safe little world."

"Blaine, I helped you when you needed it. I would do that for anyone. I'm so happy you are on your feet again, and your new business sounds exciting." Kurt pulled his hand away. 

Reaching over, Blaine took Kurt’s hand back with a firm tug. "I'm not being too clear, Kurt. What I realized in Chicago was that I want to be in San Francisco. Your San Francisco. With you."

"With me?" Kurt furrowed his brow. 

"Yes. Kurt, I love you. I'm completely, totally in love with you." Blaine's eyes held Kurt's, his gaze steady and sure. 

Blinking, Kurt looked back at him. "Oh..." For several moments, he hardly even breathed.

Looking out at the water, he bit his lip, his heart pounding. For so long, he'd never even considered the possibility of having a future with Blaine, but here he was. 

"So, how do you picture it? Being together...?" Kurt's mind was a blur of thoughts and feelings. 

Blaine gave a small pleased smile. At least Kurt wasn't running for the hills after what he'd said. "I was picturing buying a house, something not too far from the store. We could live in the top floor. The main floor could be the business. And maybe we could have a basement suite, or one over the garage, like Tom's apartment, where we could give someone in need a place to stay while they work for me." 

"Buy a house?? Do you know what housing prices are like around here? I could never afford the mortgage." Kurt scoffed, and pulled away his hand to pick up his water bottle.

Blaine smiled, and looked down. "I actually have a trust fund from my grandpa. It would be like he was giving us the house, which I think he’d like if he were still alive. Then we could just split the utilities, taxes and upkeep. It would be a lot cheaper than what you are paying for rent."

Kurt gave a small grin. "You have thought of everything, haven't you?"

Looking down the hill, Blaine smiled. "Lots of time walking the labyrinth. Lots of time in boring hearings. And I even thought of what you could do with the money you'd be saving."

Kurt crossed his ankles. "Oh really? You're telling me what to do with my money now?" 

"You could use it to get a degree. Start going part time, evenings or weekends, or online courses." Blaine smiled over at Kurt, seeing the spark of interest in his eyes.

Getting up, Blaine dusted off his jeans. "I know you need time, Kurt. I've been away and now I'm springing this all on you. Think about it. Please give us a chance. Let me take you out on dates, get comfortable together again. OK?"

Kurt accepted Blaine's hand, pulling him into standing position. They were standing really close. "OK, that sounds good."

"Oh, and one more thing you should keep in mind during all this." Blaine grabbed Kurt, quickly dipping him and kissing him hard. After a few moments, he set Kurt back on his feet, looking a bit dazed. A few volunteers had seen the whole thing, and they hooted loudly. 

Blaine laughed, and waved at them. Glancing back at Kurt, he winked and headed back down to the labyrinth.

\---

The next couple weeks were a blur. Blaine was a constant presence, always popping into the store. He'd resumed coming for coffee in the mornings, and flirted shamelessly with Kurt. He'd update Kurt on what was going on with the business, and ask him about his latest books. 

"Look at these, OK? I'd like your opinion." Blaine pulled some papers out of his briefcase. 

Kurt looked down, realizing they were house listings. He pushed them back. "Blaine..." Kurt gave him a warning look. 

Blaine acted innocent. "What? You have a great sense of style. I simply want your opinion on the place I'm going to be living in, all by my lonely self." 

Rolling his eyes, Kurt grabbed the pages back. They were both fairly close by, and Kurt could imagine them working well for Blaine's purposes. "Both look good."

"But is it better to have a bigger kitchen or a bigger garage?" Blaine looked down at the papers, clearly unsure. "Kurt, will you come look at them with me? No pressure, really. I just want your opinion. I'll even buy you a fancy dinner as a thank you."

Sighing, Kurt nodded. "OK, but we're only doing this as friends, right?"

Blaine nodded, his eyes happy. "Oh, of course."

\---

Kurt sighed as he walked around the upper floor of the house. It was amazing, and he could imagine how great it would look with a bit of paint and full of Kurt's furniture. 

Blaine was in the kitchen, and Kurt could picture him cooking up his jambalaya while Kurt drank wine with Tina, on a sofa positioned near the window that overlooked a lovely park. 

The other house was nice too, but Kurt had a better feeling about this one. It felt like home.

Turning to Blaine, he said softly, "You should get this one. The main floor will be great for the business and it will be nice to live in."

Blaine nodded. "I agree. Do me a favour and take pictures of all the rooms. It will be good to review later." He walked off to arrange the offer with the realtor. 

As Kurt walked around, he took pictures and couldn't help imaging how he'd decorate things. There was a small extra bedroom. _This would be great to study in._

Kurt shook his head at the idea. Since Blaine had planted the suggestion, Kurt had often found his thoughts going to it. To take one or two classes a semester... He could probably handle it with work. He was used to intense reading already. To have the money available to pursue it...

\---  
-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N:  
-Land’s End Labyrinth: An article from Sept 15/15 about Labyrinth rebuilding at Land’s End is [here.](http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Labyrinth-lovers-come-together-to-undo-vandalism-6502278.php)


	14. Chapter 14

\-----

“What did you order?” Kurt laughed as the server walked away.

Blaine shrugged, a playful glint in his eye. “OK, I ordered way too much food for just the two of us. But you just confessed to never really eating fresh seafood before. You need to try it.” 

The restaurant was far fancier than anything Kurt usually went to, with very attentive service. But Blaine had insisted on fulfilling his promise of a fancy dinner in return for looking at the houses a couple weeks ago.

Rolling his eyes, Kurt fidgeted with his cloth napkin. “Hey, I grew up in Ohio and we didn’t have money for fancy dining out. I’ve never learned how to eat a lobster, or anything like that.” 

“I’m happy to teach you. It will be fun.” Blaine smiled and looked far too good. He was dressed in a fitted burgundy dress shirt, a couple buttons undone, teasing Kurt with glimpses of his tanned neck. Skin Kurt used to kiss and taste. 

Kurt sipped his white wine, liking the light, crisp taste. “So, how is your father doing these days?”

“Much better. He’s down to working only about two days a week now, and Cooper is saying that he’s much more energetic. He’s playing with his granddaughter and going golfing often.” It was obvious that Blaine was very happy about this news. 

Tilting his head to the side a little, Kurt looked at Blaine. “You know, you seem to have a better relationship with him since the hearings. Before you’d only call him your ‘father’ and seemed almost… formal… I guess that’s the right word for it.” 

Nodding, Blaine met Kurt’s gaze. “Yes, being in Chicago all those months, we were together a lot. And we talked as adults, instead of just father and son, and really got to know each other. By the time I was getting ready to come back to San Francisco, he was supporting my decision to leave the firm.” 

Kurt felt happy for his friend. “And what does Cooper think about it?” He’d heard about Blaine’s brother so much, it felt almost strange that they hadn’t met. He felt like he knew Cooper already.

Blaine’s expression changed to a warm look, as it always did when he thought about his brother. “He said it’s about fucking time. He’s so proud of me, even though I haven’t done much yet.” Whenever he doubted himself, and this new, scary path ahead of him, Blaine just called Cooper up. His unfailing support recharged Blaine. 

Taking a sip of his wine, Kurt looked over at Blaine, and decided to just ask the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long. “Blaine….can I ask you something?” 

Stilling at Kurt’s serious tone, Blaine’s gaze met his directly. “Of course. Ask me anything, Kurt.” 

Fiddling with the stem of his wineglass, Kurt searched for the right words. “Um… what happened the day you left? You were in the café, like normal, and then things were suddenly weird…”

Blaine sighed, and leaned back in his chair. He seemed to have drawn in on himself, thinking. “That was so jarring. I had gotten so comfortable, living my free and easy lifestyle. And then I suddenly ran into someone from my old life…”

“Hunter.” Kurt said, his tone neutral like his expression.

His eyes wide, Blaine just blinked at Kurt in surprise. “You know him? You saw him that day?” 

With a nod, Kurt looked down, and then met Blaine’s gaze again. “Hunter was ‘Voldemort’, Blaine.”

Blaine was frozen in shock for a good minute, and then he ran his hands through his hair. “Well, then you know what he’s really like. He recognized me right away, and I knew that he’d be telling everyone we knew that he’d seen me. And I knew he would exaggerate the truth, paint me in the worst possible light.”

Kurt could understand that. “So, what did you do?”

Looking down, Blaine let out a breath. “I wanted to control any possible damage he could cause. Limit what he could stir up, just for his own amusement. So, I practically ran out of that café and talked to the legal team.”

Surprised, Kurt took a sip of his wine. “What did they say?”

Frowning, Blaine looked over at Kurt. “Basically, that I needed to leave town, as soon as possible. They wanted to limit any kind of negative publicity, especially since it looked like the hearings would start soon.” 

“Where did you go?” 

“One of Cooper’s friends has a cabin just outside of Chicago, in the middle of nowhere. No phone, no internet, nothing for weeks. I just played my guitar and read every book in that cabin, including about a dozen Nancy Drew mysteries.” Blaine gave Kurt a small smile.

So, that’s why Blaine was so out of touch when he left. “Why didn’t you tell me anything, Blaine?” 

Sighing, Blaine looked down again before meeting his gaze. “I was in shock at first, and just went to Tom’s to pack my bag and clean the place up. By the time Cooper had arranged for where I’d be going, I asked him to book me a bus ticket after midnight. I wanted, needed to see you again….”

His voice trailed off, as he blinked, gathering his thoughts. “I was really afraid that Hunter would leak things to the press about me, make things up. That’s why I got out of the café so quickly, before someone said something to me or did something else that would tip him off that I was more than just a customer. If he knew I worked there, or that we were involved, you would have been part of the new story. Didn’t want media crawling all over the store, hunting for a story. I didn’t want you dragged into that mess, just when you have the store doing so well.” 

“And open mic…?” Kurt prompted.

“Yeah, I was there as little as I could be. I just wanted to sing as a way to say goodbye to Tina and the other staff, and to sing that song for you, Kurt.” Blaine’s eyes softened, along with his voice.

Under that gaze, Kurt blushed. He was remembering the song, and going back to his apartment afterwards. That hot, intense sex. The last time they’d had sex. 

The spell was broken by the server arriving with a large tray, unloading lobster, crab and many other plates of food for them. 

\----

“Ugh…. I’m so full….” Kurt put down the nutcracker, and wiped his hands on the napkin. A mess of shell pieces were littered all over his plate, stripped clean of the succulent meat.

Blaine chuckled. “So, you are a convert now? A seafood lover?” There was a small mountain of snow crab leg shells on his plate. He hadn’t eaten as much as Kurt had, intent on demonstrating the proper techniques for picking out the meat. But he’d made up for it by drinking far more than his share of the wine.

Giving him a small smile, Kurt nodded. “When it’s so fresh and there’s melted butter, who can resist?” Standing up, he drew on his coat.

Following his motions, Blaine stood and almost fell over. “Woah.” He grabbed the edge of the table. 

Kurt held out his coat, and helped Blaine get it on, chuckling when he kept missing the sleeve. “Well, I guess I’m the one driving us home.”

Not arguing, Blaine followed him out to the parking lot. Luckily, Blaine’s new house was quite close to the restaurant.

“Come on, put your arm around my waist and we’ll get you up the stairs.” Blaine obeyed, and Kurt shifted to take a lot of his weight against his body, feeling Blaine’s warm body so close. 

They entered the apartment and Kurt was surprised to see it didn't look much different from before. Mostly empty. There were stools along one side of the kitchen island and a deluxe looking coffee maker on the counter. But nothing else. 

Shaking his head, Kurt dragged Blaine to the bedroom. Here, he had made changes. The bed was king-sized, with an elaborate head and footboard of swooping steel-grey wrought iron swirls. Thick, fluffy down comforters and pillows completed the vision. It was like a huge cloud of luxury fabrics. Clearly, Blaine had splurged here. 

Letting go of Blaine at the foot of the bed, Kurt soon had to reach out a steading hand when he tilted to the side. Chuckling, he helped him strip down to his black boxer-briefs and tucked him under the covers. 

"Kurt, stay..." Blaine blinked up at him, his hazel eyes beseeching. "Just to sleep. Want you close to me..."

Looking down at Blaine's unguarded expression, Kurt's resistance melted. Plus, he still felt so full from dinner. The idea of going down all of Blaine's stairs, driving, and then up all of Kurt's stairs seemed like far too much work. Especially when this heavenly cloud of a bed was so temptingly close. 

"Ok. I'm going to the bathroom first though." 

Stripping down to his undershirt and boxer-briefs, Kurt had no hesitation opening Blaine's cabinets and using his skin care products. There was even a toothbrush still in the package that Kurt used. The towels were as luxurious as the bedding. 

In minutes, Kurt was asleep on the other side of the bed, grateful it was a king with lots of space. 

\---

Kurt woke up and it took a minute to remember where he was. In Blaine's wonderful huge bed. 

Looking around, Kurt cringed when he realized that he was cuddled against Blaine. On Blaine's side of the bed. Sometime during the night, he must have worked his way across this huge bed to him. 

To move away or to get out of bed would probably wake Blaine up, so Kurt just relaxed back. There was no urgent need to get up yet. 

Kurt felt so well rested. Was it the wine and good food the night before? This amazing bed? Or being curled up against Blaine? He'd really missed sharing his bed when Blaine had left before. It felt so cold and empty for ages. 

Sighing, Kurt slowly shifted onto his side, facing away from Blaine. As tempting as it was to get involved with Blaine again, would he really stick around this time? What if his new business failed, or he realized after a few months that he missed his old lifestyle, his old job? 

Blaine had been through so much this year. And moving in together with so much else going on was just nuts. 

Love… Blaine had said he loved Kurt, and really seemed to mean it. The words had been echoing in Kurt’s head for days. Sometimes, they made him smile and dream of their future together. 

Other times, Kurt would wonder how true they were. Did Blaine really, really know Kurt? Know his bad sides, like days when he was a grumpy asshole, fit for no company. Or when he was sick and only wanted gingerale, chicken soup and to be left alone with the six hour BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. Or when he was in a mood to gossip and bitch. 

And how well did Kurt know Blaine? What was he like on his bad days? 

"You are sure thinking loudly over there." Blaine's voice was a soft drawl. 

Rolling over, Kurt turned to Blaine, looking over his face. He didn't seem to be showing many affects from the drinking yesterday. His hair was sticking up in a way Kurt found adorable. His eyes were warm as they returned Kurt's gaze. 

"This bed is amazing, Blaine. I had the best sleep." Kurt stuck to an easy topic, leaving all his deeper thoughts for later. 

Blaine grinned. "Good. It's all just part of my plan. Tempt you with Egyptian cotton and memory foam."

Rolling onto his back, Kurt stretched out, sighing. "Best. Bed. Ever."

Crawling over Kurt, Blaine supported himself on his arms, looking down at Kurt's face with a smile on his full lips. His eyes moved from Kurt's eyes, down to his mouth. Lowering his face, his lips were soft as they brushed over Kurt's, teasing. 

Moving back, he looked down at Kurt, checking on his response. Seeing only a warm look in return, Blaine lowered his face to Kurt's neck, kissing softly, teasingly, along the tender skin there. He also let his body lower down, resting lightly against Kurt.

Kurt ran his hands lightly over Blaine's back, enjoying the soft, lazy kisses. He liked this. Missed this. Missed Blaine's body. Missed being close, touching. 

Blaine pressed closer, his breath coming a bit quicker, and Kurt could feel the brush of his erection against his hip. Kurt was getting aroused too, but he shifted away from Blaine slightly. 

Opening his eyes, Blaine gave him a questioning glance. Kurt took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Sorry, but can we just take things slowly? Maybe just keep it to kissing?”

Nodding, Blaine's lips were curled in a small smile as he lowered them to Kurt's. His lips were soft, brushing over Kurt's again and again. Kurt's hands held Blaine's shoulders, fingers splayed over his warm, olive skin. 

Capturing Blaine's bottom lip, Kurt ran his tongue lightly over it. Nibbling along Blaine's top lip, he felt the slightly scratchy whiskers above. The rasp of them reminded Kurt that he'd never kissed Blaine without a beard before, and he was intent on exploring, seeing how it felt different. 

Groaning, Blaine rolled into his back. His chest was bare, the golden morning sun making the expanse of skin far too tempting for Kurt to resist. Draping himself over one side of Blaine's chest, Kurt kissed along his collarbone and up his neck. His hand was splayed against Blaine's ribs, rising and falling with each of his breaths. 

It was a timeless bubble. The luxurious bedding covered them in a warm cocoon. There was a soft silence to the room, the city hushed outside in the morning lull of activity. Kurt took his time, relearning Blaine. Lazy exploration with no intent beyond kissing, touching and tasting his skin. 

Blaine could sense Kurt's mood, and simply laid back, drifting in a sensual haze. So many times in Chicago, he'd pulled up memories of being in bed with Kurt. Beyond the sex, he had missed these touches so much. Wasn't sure if he would ever have them again. To be in bed again with Kurt now, touching, kissing.... It was a wonder. He would lay here forever under his sweet caresses. His hand rested lightly on Kurt's back, his fingers skimming back and forth over the fabric of his thin undershirt. 

Kurt was kissing along Blaine's sternum, when his stomach growled loudly. Chuckling against Blaine's skin, Kurt glanced up at his face. 

Blaine blushed a little. "Sorry, just ignore my stomach. Please don't stop what you were doing." 

Smiling, Kurt rolled over on his back, arching it up into a stretch. "No, I think I agree with your stomach. And I'm ashamed to admit I'm craving some of that hipster toast."

Giving Kurt one last kiss, Blaine got off the bed. "Stay here. I haven't done much with the apartment yet, but I can make you coffee and awesome toast." 

Blaine vanished, and Kurt pulled up the fluffy bedding and rearranged the mountain of pillows against the headboard. He was quite content to recline back and listen to Blaine in the kitchen, falling half-asleep in the warm comfort. 

After a few minutes, Blaine returned with a large tray. He crawled into bed, settling against the headboard and they enjoyed the coffee and food. Blaine looked over at Kurt, licking a bit of honey from his upper lip, his hair a mess, and his heart skipped a beat. 

He wanted this. Wanted to wake up every morning with Kurt. Wanted the ordinary moments of eating toast in bed. Wanted to share their lives, the highs and the lows. 

Kurt felt his gaze, and lowered his toast slowly to his plate. He reached out and took Blaine's hand. Never before had he seen someone looking at him like that. Truly, it was heart-eyes, his feelings expressed so clearly there. If Kurt had any doubt if Blaine truly loved him before, when he'd said it at Land's End, he knew it was true now. 

Swallowing hard, Kurt looked down at their joined hands. "Give me time, Blaine. I care about you so much, and I want us to keep seeing each other. I want to see where things will go between us." 

"Us." A small smile played over Blaine's lips. It was the first time Kurt had ever used that term about them. Blaine was so happy. Squeezing Kurt's hand, he let go and went back to his breakfast. Thoughts whirled around his head, ways he could continue to woo Kurt. Draw him closer and closer.

\---

Tina giggled as Kurt danced to the catchy tune playing on the store stereo, singing along softly. _"I never learned to cook, But I can write a hook, Sing along with me, Sing-sing along with me..."_ He finished pouring his coffee, and looked over at Tina. 

"What?" He asked of her smug, little expression. 

Tina smirked wider. "Somebody got some last night!"

Blushing slightly, Kurt got very busy adding milk to his mug. "No, not really."

Stepping close to his side, Tina leaned in to his ear. "Not really? Well, something happened, right?" Her tone was completely teasing, putting him on the spot. 

Kurt couldn't keep from smiling back. "Yeah, well.... It was just kissing. A lot of kissing."

Hopping onto a stool, Tina sipped her coffee, as she looked Kurt over. "It's funny, but sometimes making out for a long time with someone can be so intimate. It's something you don't do with just anybody."

Scoffing, Kurt sat on the other stool. The store was quiet except some customers sipping beverages in the cafe, reading the paper. "Are you saying it's more intimate to have a long make out session than a quickie?" 

"Well, mad lust and the heat of the moment could result in a quickie. A kiss or two won't become a make-out unless you are both into each other." Tina shrugged. 

Kurt wasn't sure he agreed, but let the matter drop. He sipped his coffee. 

Tina wasn't going to let it drop, though. "So, I trust all the hot kisses were with Blaine? What's going on there?"

Kurt sighed, thinking how to sum things up. "Well, he's back and he wants us back together."

"What do you want?" Tina had noticed Blaine flirting with Kurt over coffees, but hadn't had a chance to get the full story. 

"That's a good question. It's tempting to just jump back into things with him, but part of me is scared. Sure, he's all gung-ho right now about his new business and me, but will it last? His life has been more twisty than a roller-coaster this year." Kurt took a big sip of coffee.

Tina thought about what Kurt said. "His interest in you hasn't waivered since he first saw you, even though he had to be in Chicago for so long. As soon as he could, he was right back here with you."

Kurt shrugged. "I guess. He keeps bugging me to move in with him, and his place is gorgeous. I can totally picture myself living there with him. It's equal parts exciting and terrifying to consider it."

Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Tina gave him a squeeze. "That's how it should be! The best opportunities in life make you feel like that. Think of when we decided to leave Ohio and come out here to run the store. We were shaking in our boots, but it has turned out so great. It would have been so much easier and safer to just continue living in Ohio. Imagine living there now, still working at your Dad's shop. Would that be really living?"

Kurt squeezed Tina back, hopping off the stool to grab more coffee and wander around the store. While he tidied and rearranged things, her comments repeated in his head.

\---  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: _“Dear Future Husband”_ by Meghan Trainor - video [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShlW5plD_40)

*** I think there will be 2 more chapters.


	15. Chapter 15

\---

The alarm went off, and Blaine had to scoot from the center of the big bed to the side table to shut it off. Throwing back the covers, he got out, feeling well rested. That bed had been worth every penny he'd paid for it. 

Turning on the shower taps, he stepped under the powerful spray. He had hired a plumber to install the deluxe massaging shower head and to up the water pressure. He loved a good shower. Soaping over his body, he sighed as the water worked out the knots of his back. 

The slick soap felt good against his morning erection, and he stroked slowly, his mind flashing to images of Kurt. Naked, ivory skin, stormy eyes dark with need, full lips gasping in pleasure. The feel of his cock, thick and heavy against Blaine's tongue, as he sucked and licked, listening for Kurt’s moans. It wasn't long before Blaine came, bracing an arm against the shower wall. 

Large, thick Egyptian cotton towels quickly dried his body, and he wrapped one around his waist as he padded over to the living room. Turning on Songza, he picked a playlist of stadium rock anthems, and cranked it up, singing along to Pat Benetar. 

Back in the bathroom, he quickly combed his hair; glad it was growing out a bit from the short conservative cut he'd had for the hearings. He probably wouldn't let it go as long as he'd had it before, but Kurt seemed to prefer the curls when they were a bit longer. So many times in the past, they would cuddle up together to watch a movie, and Kurt would play with his hair. And Blaine would practically purr under his touch. 

He shaved carefully, wanting it to be nice and close. The beard had been easier to care for, but being clean-shaven suited his business image now. 

At his closet, he pulled on dark slim jeans. He paired it with a light purple dress shirt and a coordinating tie. It was his version of business casual. Comfortable, but still seemed professional. He kept a charcoal grey suit jacket in the office he could slip on if he wanted to step it up a notch. Sometimes, he would wear it with new clients for their first meeting, and needed to seem professional and old enough to handle their financial needs. 

Glancing at the clock, he turned off the music and locked up. Running down the stairs, he saw Yvonne was already at her desk, and smiled as he walked by.

"Good morning." He went to his desk, and checked the calendar. 

She smiled back, looking very pretty in a burgundy dress and black boots. "Hi Blaine. It's a pretty light day today. Just the conference call at 1:00, and Gina is popping by during her lunch hour to drop off documents and sign her paperwork."

Nodding, Blaine saw that the Gina file was on his desk, ready to go. Yvonne was always on top of things. "And you are leaving a little early, right? For Troy's dance recital?"

"Yes." She nodded, looking very proud. "He's been practicing so hard. But I'll be happy when it's over so I don't have to hear _"One Jump Ahead"_ again." 

Making sure the figures were ready for the call later, Blaine got up. "Would you record it for me? I love anything from Aladdin." 

She smiled as he left. The office was still fairly quiet, and she could always reach him by text if needed. Although her computer skills weren't that strong yet, she was picking things up quite well that Blaine taught her. She was already very comfortable with answering phones, dealing with paperwork and had strong bookkeeping skills. 

She and Troy had settled well into the basement suite. In return for her work in the office, she had the apartment rent-free and a fair salary. Dance lessons for Troy were also included. 

Blaine walked down the streets, a bit of fog lingering in the distance. He always thought it made San Francisco seem a bit like London, a bit more mysterious. But the huge hills were always so distinctively San Francisco. 

At Fitzpatrick's, he waited in the busy cafe line. Kurt was already at his regular table, deep into his book. After a minute, his attention lifted and he looked over at Blaine, a smile curving on his lips. Blaine smiled back, loving that Kurt always seemed to feel his presence, his gaze. There was a base awareness of each other, a hum of attraction, that had been there from the start. 

Looking down at the feature table beside the cafe line, Blaine wasn't surprised it was all about classic films. A few days ago, they had cuddled on Kurt's sofa and watched Hitchcock's _"Rear Window",_ and Kurt had been enchanted by Grace Kelly's fantastic clothes initially, and then completely drawn in by the suspenseful story. The books ranged from things like top films to see before you die, books by critics like Roger Ebert, and ones that celebrated iconic stars like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.

Smiling at Tina, he scanned the menu board of her newest creations. "I'll have a hazelnut latte and try the Gorgonzola-pear toast."

"Ok. So, what time do you want us over there tonight?" Tina handed over his change. 

Looking down at the tip jars, he chuckled at the labels. One said "A 5 Minute Quickie" and the other said "An Hour of Soft Kisses". Shrugging, he divided his tip fairly evenly between the two jars. "How about around eight? I'll have wine and snacks, so you don't need to bring anything." 

Tina nodded, and gave him a bit of a wink. Her glance was a bit too knowing, and he wondered how much Kurt had shared with her. 

Waiting for his coffee and toast, Blaine thought back on the dates. It had been great spending time with Kurt, joking around, talking about everything, and getting comfortable with each other again. But he was feeling a bit frustrated. So far, Kurt had been sticking to kissing and cuddling, and Blaine wanted, needed, more. He'd planned tonight with that in mind. Kurt, Tina, Lucas, Mandy, and her newest boyfriend were coming over. Mandy had some card game she wanted them all to try. Blaine was going to make sure Kurt had a few drinks and then flirt with him all night, hopefully convincing him to linger after everyone else left. 

Carrying his breakfast to Kurt's table, he felt good that Kurt immediately closed his book and made room for him. After setting everything down, he leaned over and gave Kurt a firm kiss. Part of him wanted to grab Kurt's head, tilt it back, and really kiss him, deep and hard. But for a morning kiss in the middle of a busy cafe, he'd take what he could get. 

Kurt's eyes were glinting, like he knew what Blaine was thinking. But he just smiled serenely, and took a sip of his mocha. 

"What are you reading now?" Blaine waved at the light grey paperback as he took a bite of his toast. The tangy cheese was delicious with the light sweetness of the pear. 

Kurt flipped it over. The cover simply said "Hitchcock" and "Truffaut" in orange text that faded to yellow. "It's one great filmmaker interviewing another about his work in great detail.”

Chuckling, Blaine looked over the rim of his cup at Kurt. "I bet this means we'll be watching another Hitchcock soon."

Kurt looked upwards, considering. His legs were crossed, in grey dress pants. A black vest hugged his slim torso and a paisley scarf of goldenrod was draped loosely around his neck. Blaine wanted to grab the ends and tug Kurt to him. 

"I’m thinking that _”Rope”_ will be next. It's only eighty minutes long and shot so it looks like one continuous take." His eyes looked more green today, as he met Blaine's hazel gaze. 

Taking hold of Kurt's hand, Blaine drew it towards him on the table. "Maybe you should take a film studies class. You would probably enjoy discussing great movies with other students." 

Kurt shrugged. "But is it practical? I'm not planning to work in that industry." 

"Well, it all depends on if you want to get a degree to get a certain job, or to just get a degree for yourself. Just think how taking some business courses along with a wide variety of other topics would help you here. Help to select better books, relate better with customers who are knowledgeable about those areas.” Blaine sipped his latte.

Nodding, Kurt squeezed Blaine’s hand. “Well, I can always just start with a variety of classes and decide what I want to do after I’ve done a few.” 

Blaine loved seeing the enthusiasm on Kurt's face. Plus, he was hoping his interest getting a degree might help Kurt decide to move in together. Not that it would only be for financial reasons, of course. But it was another thing Blaine was using to lure him in. 

"Definitely." Blaine finished up his coffee and toast. 

"But enough about me. Been giving away more money lately?"

"Well, Gina is coming by to finalize things today. She’s really ready to take her business to the next level." She was a regular customer of Tom's that Blaine had gotten to know well. She had a home-based business of custom beadwork on wedding gowns. 

Standing up, Blaine gave Kurt a quick kiss goodbye. "I have to get back for a call. See you at eight, right?" 

\---

By the time Yvonne was leaving, Blaine was ready to call it a day too. He liked that some days were long, and other days light. He had some flexibility to do other things in his life. 

The conference call with his Chicago investors had gone well. He'd reviewed the current loans and what was in the pipeline. It was early in the business, but the repayment numbers looked better than expected. And the happier the investors were, the more they left him alone to run things his way. 

Walking down a few blocks, Blaine enjoyed the energy of the neighborhood and the fall weather. He picked up groceries at Tom's and had a quick catch up chat. Tom couldn't resist dragging him behind the plastic tarp to view the renovations in his expansion. He waved and pointed out each area, and Blaine could picture the bakery, deli counter and the cooking demo kitchen. 

At home, he put on some good music while he tidied up and prepped the food for the night. He was still getting used to having the new sofa and the club chairs in the living room, but they looked good. When it was all ready, he heated up some leftover beef stew and carried it out to his deck with his guitar. 

By the time the sun was setting, he was back in his apartment. He'd changed, and had on some mellow music. Lighting candles all around the apartment, he looked around with satisfaction. 

\---

Tina smiled as she gathered up the cards. Holding the black card, she read out, _"But before I kill you, Mr Bond, I must show you..."_

Turning over the first white card, she read out, _"The true meaning of Christmas"._ There were a few laughs. 

Holding up the second white card, she grinned as she read out, _"Harry Potter erotica."_ Kurt chuckled and looked over at Blaine. 

_"Vigorous jazz hands,"_ Tina waved her hands in the air, giggling.

 _"My relationship status."_ There wasn't much response to that answer, and Tina shrugged. 

"And the last answer is _'Lance Armstrong's missing testicle.'_ " Mandy and her date were laughing loudest at that one. 

Chuckling, Tina flipped through the cards. "Hmmm, I like _'Harry Potter erotica',_ but I think _'Vigorous jazz hands'_ is the funniest." 

Lucas shot up a hand. "That's mine!" 

Tina smiled and passed the black card to him. 

"Fix!" Blaine complained, jokingly. He leaned forward to the coffee table and scooped bruschetta on a cracker, putting it on a napkin. 

"Awwww thanks, honey." Kurt put a hand on his shoulder as he grabbed the snack away from Blaine, and gave him an innocent look when Blaine glared playfully at him. 

Sighing dramatically, Blaine prepped another cracker for himself, and sat back on the sofa beside Kurt. Looking over at him, Kurt was just finishing his snack, and let out a soft moan of pleasure. The sound made Blaine freeze for a second, holding his breath, until he'd calmed himself down a little. 

All night, it had been like this. Starting with Kurt wearing Blaine's favorite jeans, the really tight ones that made his legs look so long and his ass so fantastic. A chunky belt showed off his slim waist. On top, he was in a light blue checked shirt, a few buttons undone and showing his white tank underneath. Not as many layers as he usually wore and his sleeves were short, leaving most of his arms bare. 

Then, Kurt had sat right next to Blaine on the couch, and kept reaching over to casually touch his arm or his thigh as they talked. Plus, he kept shifting, crossing one leg, and then switching it to his other leg. Every time, Blaine's eyes couldn't help but follow the movements. 

Blaine could hardly think straight. Taking advantage of a lull in the game play, he headed to the kitchen for a breather. 

Tina joined him there. "You gotta do it back to him." Her voice was low, and she glanced back to make sure Kurt's attention was elsewhere as she filled a glass with water. 

"Uh... What?" Blaine was confused. 

Sighing in exasperation, Tina pulled him into the bedroom. "Kurt! He's been teasing you all night. He's got you completely twitterpated."

Blaine chuckled. "Really? I'm like Thumper in Bambi?"

"Worse." She strode over to Blaine's closet and opened the door. She pulled out a couple t-shirts. "Which one of these is tighter?"

Blaine laughed. "The blue one."

She put the other one back and handed the blue one to Blaine. "Change, and you'll be halfway there. He is always talking about how much he loves your arms and chest. Tease him back! Touch him, be suggestive..." She winked as she snuck back out to the living room. 

Chuckling to himself, Blaine changed into the tee. It was practically skintight over his arms and chest. Good thing the candlelight was dim out there. 

Settling back on the couch, Kurt gave his shirt a questioning look. 

Blaine shrugged. "I spilt something on my other shirt." Reaching over, he put some cheese on a napkin. "Want some?" He gave Kurt his best bedroom eyes. 

Kurt seemed to be the one a bit tense now. He nodded. 

Picking up a cube of cheese, Blaine held it to his lips, until Kurt opened his mouth and accepted it. His eyes were enormous. 

Mandy passed out new cards, and there was a few minutes while everyone selected which white card to give her. She chuckled as she read them over. 

"Ok, the question was _'What never fails to liven up the party?'_ And the answers I got are _'My humps', 'Extremely tight pants', 'The miracle of childbirth', 'Hot cheese'_ and _'Oompa-loompas'."_

Everyone was laughing hard and telling her which answer she should pick. 

"I'd pick 'extremely tight pants'." Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear, and ran his hand lightly along the top of his crossed leg. 

Kurt's eyes widened, and he clamped his hand over Blaine’s. "Blaine..." His tone was a warning one, but Blaine could tell by the way he shifted that he wasn't totally unaffected. This was so fun. 

As the night continued, he kept it up. Little touches on his shoulder, his hand. Teasing comments. Making sure Kurt's wineglass was topped up. Tina looked over and nodded in approval. 

Blaine read out the black card. _"What's my secret power?"_ Flipping through the white cards, he wondered which one had been Kurt's. "The answers are _'Powerful thighs', 'Waiting for marriage', 'Pretending to care', 'Seeing grandma naked',_ and _'Licking things to claim them as my own'."_

Laughing as he contemplated which one he found the funniest, he pulled one out. "Ok, I pick _'Seeing grandma naked'."_

Mandy squealed. "Yeah! Another one for me!" She grabbed the black card from Blaine. 

"I think you are creaming us at this, Mandy." Lucas laughed from where he was sitting on a floor pillow, Tina leaning back against him. "Shall we call you the winner and head home?"

Nodding, Tina got up and held out her hand to pull Lucas up. He was a tall, almost skinny, man with light blond hair and very blue eyes. His hands rested comfortably on her shoulders as she turned towards the door. 

Blaine leaned close to Kurt like he was going to whisper in his ear. Instead, he gave a good long lick along his neck. 

Laughing, Kurt pulled away and looked at Blaine. "What the hell was that?"

Blaine gave him a smug look in return. "Licking things to claim them as my own." 

"Oh, really? So you own my neck now?" Kurt joked back. 

"Well, I thought if I licked you, I would claim all of you. But if you think I need to lick every part of you to claim everything, I'm quite willing to do so." Blaine smiled in return. 

"Ahem. Excuse us for disturbing your verbal foreplay, but some of us are leaving." Mandy's voice rang out across the room. 

Blaine jumped up to do his duty as a host, hugging everyone goodbye and thanking them for coming. Tina gave him a significant look and tilted her head towards Kurt. As if he needed the push. 

With everyone else gone, Blaine turned to Kurt. He pulled the jacket out of his hands, stepping close. "Oh, you've had far too much to drink. You'd better stay the night."

"Really, I better scurry..." Kurt smirked, glancing down at Blaine's lips. 

"Beautiful, please don't hurry..." Blaine smiled as he lowered his mouth to Kurt's. 

The kiss went to scorching hot in about two seconds. Kurt's hands were pulling up Blaine's shirt, digging into the skin of his back. Blaine's hands went right to Kurt's ass, cupping it and pulling him close. 

Gasping, Kurt pulled back to catch his breath. "Fuck, I want you so bad. Bedroom? Now? Please?" His eyes were dark, his lips already swollen and wet from their hasty kisses.

Blaine didn't need any convincing.

\---  
-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-Hitchcock Movies: The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, has many great movies. Opening few minutes from 'Rear Window' is [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5It0nmoYE4) and 'Rope' is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJo5ih2HkxE)

-The game is Cards Against Humanity. Glee cast playing it on Ellen (I stole a round from there) is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZInNjvRjK4)


	16. Chapter 16

\---

 

"Blaine, this is truly amazing." Kurt's eyes glowed as he took in the romantic scene. 

Blaine smiled back at Kurt, happy to get such a positive reaction. The weather had been nice lately, so Blaine had set up an al fresco dinner on his back deck. The little bistro table was covered with a tablecloth; with wine glasses, cloth napkins, and candlelight.

He’d wanted to do something special after the lovely drive Kurt at taken him on the week before. They had left town to tour a winery, and then had a picnic lunch with an ocean view.

Kurt sat down and Blaine poured out some wine for them. They sipped it slowly and caught up, Kurt full of funny stories about friends at work. 

Getting up, Blaine leaned down to give Kurt a little kiss. "Wait here. I just have a couple things to finish in the kitchen."

Kurt offered to help, but Blaine encouraged him to relax. There was music playing softly through the open doorway and Kurt just sipped his wine while looking out at the lovely view. The deck was off Blaine's floor of the house, just a space big enough for the small table and a barbecue. 

Blaine returned carrying two plates and set them down on the table. 

"Wow! Blaine, when did you learn how to make this??!" Kurt looked down in wonder at the beautiful meal. 

Blaine looked proud. "Back in Chicago, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with our cook. She was a good teacher and it was fun to shock my family when I helped her out." 

Moaning with the first bite of his pork tenderloin, Kurt eagerly dug in. The meat was very flavorful, and there were baby potatoes and a green vegetable. 

"What vegetable is this?" Kurt asked after taking a bite. It tasted a little like asparagus. They were coin sized round shapes, lightly seasoned with melted butter, salt and pepper. 

Blaine smiled. "Fiddleheads. I always loved them whenever we had them in Chicago."

Nodding, Kurt enjoyed the food, impressed by the work Blaine had put into it. 

“Tina mentioned something about a business opportunity for the store, and she seemed pretty excited. Can you tell me more about it?” Blaine looked over at Kurt, admiring the way the candlelight danced over his fair skin. 

Kurt shrugged a shoulder. “We get offers occasionally, and they are interesting to consider. We were approached by someone who was offering to buy us out entirely, or buying in as our partner.” 

Blaine’s eyes rose in surprise. He’d never thought of that possibility, but the business was doing well. What would Kurt do if they sold the business? Would he stay in San Francisco? 

“And what did you and Tina tell him?” Blaine took a sip of his water, trying to appear nonchalant. 

Fiddling with the stem of his wine glass, Kurt sighed. “We listened to the offer, the proposal, but we declined it.”

“Not enough money?” 

Shaking his head, Kurt gave a little smile. “Actually, the amount was fairly impressive, and tempting. But Tina and I didn’t like the changes that would have come with it.” 

“What type of changes?” 

Kurt scrunched up his face. “He wanted to make the café a known franchise and change to new books instead of used. This guy was a real businessman-type, who really cares about getting as much return on his investment as he can. I could see him reducing the seating area to have more room for product to sell.” 

Furrowing his brow, Blaine didn’t look impressed. “There’s hardly enough room for everyone who comes out to events now. And your clientele would totally change if you made the store more mainstream, more upscale like that.”

“That’s why we rejected the idea. He wanted to take away all the things that make the store unique. It wouldn’t be a place we would want to work in. And if we sold the business, it would feel like betraying our loyal customers.”

Kurt could see that Blaine was nodding along, and it was a relief that he agreed with how Tina and Kurt had viewed the offer. Sure, the offer looked good on paper, and would have been more money. But The store wasn’t just a job for Kurt and Tina. It meant a lot to Kurt that Blaine understood that there were more important things than the bottom line, that they shared that view. Would Blaine from a year ago have understood this? Kurt doubted it. 

\---

They were cuddled up of the sofa, two-thirds the way through _'Rope'_ , when Kurt first got a bit concerned. He took a sip of his Diet Coke, and shifted away from Blaine, feeling a little warm. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly.

“Are you OK?” Blaine gave him a concerned look. 

Shifting on the sofa to sit up a little straighter, Kurt glanced at Blaine. “Um, do you mind if we pause the movie for a minute? I think I need some fresh air.” 

Blaine shook his head, his brow furrowed. 

Kurt got up, and walked quickly over to the door to the back deck. The air was cool and fresh, and he stood at the railing, taking some deep breaths, and felt much better. 

Standing at his side, Blaine held out a glass of cool water. “Can I get you anything? A pain reliever? Some tums?” 

“No, no, I’m….” Kurt suddenly stopped, and clamped his hand over his mouth, rushing inside to the washroom. 

Blaine cringed as he waited outside the washroom, still holding the glass of water. They hadn’t had that much wine. Was it the flu? Something Kurt ate? Blaine’s head whipped to the kitchen. _Oh shit._ Had he given Kurt food poisoning? 

But that didn’t make sense, since they had both eaten the same thing for dinner, and he felt OK. And food poisoning usually hit within an hour or two of eating, so it couldn’t be something from earlier that day. 

Kurt walked out of the washroom, looking a little pale and wane. Blaine passed him the water, and he took a sip of it gratefully. 

“Feeling a little better now?” Blaine stroked his upper arm. 

Sinking down on the couch, Kurt gave a weak smile. “Well, I’m not nauseous anymore.” He shrugged. “But I’m so embarrassed.” 

Blaine gave him a little smile. “You’re human. We all get sick once in a while.” Then his face tensed, and he jumped up and ran into the washroom.

\-----

The next hour was awful. They took turns in the washroom. It seemed to have hit Kurt harder than Blaine. Blaine made a big pot of tea and sweetened it with a lot of honey, and they sat under blankets on the sofa, sipping it. 

“Again, I’m so, so, so sorry.” Blaine groaned. “I don’t get it though. I kept the meat in the fridge until right before I put it in the oven, and I checked it with a meat thermometer. The potatoes were cooked in the oven too, and I don’t think people get food poisoning from them very often.”

Kurt sighed. “And how did you prepare the fiddleheads?” 

“Like I prepare asparagus. Just rinsed them in water, and then steamed them on the stove. Cooked them until they were tender-crisp.” Blaine shrugged.

Grabbing his phone, Kurt typed a little into it. After a couple minutes, he read out, _“Eating raw or undercooked fiddleheads can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and headaches…”_

Groaning, Blaine tilted his head to rest on the back of the sofa. “Oh shit. Does it say how long you’re supposed to cook them for?” 

“Ten to twelve minutes.” Kurt read, and glanced over at Blaine.

Blaine looked miserable. “Will you ever forgive me? I gave you food poisoning!” 

Kurt was about to answer, when he pushed off the blanket and made another run for the washroom.

Blaine wasn’t as affected as Kurt was. He was feeling a little nervous cooking the meal and wanting everything to go well, so he hadn’t eaten that much at dinner. And Kurt had maybe eaten a little more than he normally would have, wanting to show Blaine how much he appreciated the meal. 

When Kurt came out again, he wasn’t looking that good. Blaine led him over to the bedroom, and encouraged him to lie down. He put a pail nearby, and a glass of water on the nightstand. Kurt went into an exhausted sleep fairly quickly.

\----

Blaine was in the kitchen when he came out of the bedroom the next morning. “Hey Kurt, how are you feeling?” 

Sitting down on one of the stools near the kitchen island, Kurt sighed. “Better than last night, but not that great.”

Nodding, Blaine passed him a mug of tea. “I called Tina and let her know what happened. She told me what you like when you are sick. So, I’ve stocked up on ginger ale, chicken soup and I downloaded your favorite show for you.”

Kurt looked up at Blaine. “Really? You’ve already been out and doing all that? You were sick too.” He looked Blaine over, and could tell that he’d had a shower. 

“Yeah, but I wasn’t as sick as you were.” Blaine shrugged. “Plus I feel bad for screwing up like that.” 

Getting up, Kurt walked around the kitchen island and gave Blaine a light hug. “It was a mistake, and I’ll be OK. I’ll just take it easy today.” 

Blaine took out a loaf of bread. “I’m going to make some toast. Think you could handle a slice or two?” 

\---

After some tea and toast, they settled back in bed and watched _”Pride and Prejudice”._ They took a few breaks for naps, and had some soup for lunch. By the end of the day, Kurt felt much better. He took a long bath and Blaine lent him some clean pajamas. 

"You probably want to get back to your place. Let me know if you want me to drive you home." Blaine stretched out on the sofa, resting his head in Kurt's lap. 

"I am home, Blaine." Kurt said softly, brushing the hair back off Blaine's face. 

Blaine's eyes widened and he stilled, searching Kurt's face. "Do you mean..."

Kurt smiled at his bewildered expression. "Yes. If the offer is still open, I'd like to move in here with you."

Leaping off the couch, Blaine hauled Kurt up to give him an enthusiastic hug. "Of course, Kurt! This is fantastic!" He kissed him and went back to hugging him tight. 

"Can"t.... Breathe..." Kurt half-jokingly gasped. He'd never been hugged so hard in his whole life. But still, he couldn't help smiling just as widely as Blaine was. 

Taking Kurt's hands in his, Blaine dragged him back down onto the sofa. "So, what changed your mind?"

Kurt nodded. "Well, after Hunter, I've been more cautious with my heart, trying not to get hurt like that again. And there were a couple things I was worried about with you, things that would doom a relationship between us."

Blaine's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Two things? What were they?" 

"Well, one of them I mentioned before. That after the hearing, you would return to your old life. A life I wouldn’t fit into. But instead, you are back here and you’ve created a whole new life for yourself. You started the business helping people like Tom and Gina. You hired Yvonne and you are teaching her how to use computers. You seem to really enjoy the way you are living now. I get the feeling even if we weren't in a relationship, you'd still be living here this way." 

Blaine considered that for a minute. "I feel like I can be the best version of myself here. I'm not trying to impress anybody. And the work is way more interesting and rewarding. I talk to people and see if I can help make their dreams come true. Find a way to do it that they can afford. I love it."

"Well, maybe you're not trying to impress anyone, but you've impressed me. I'm so proud of you for all you’ve done here.” Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand. 

"Ok, so is that fear gone now? Do you see that I'm not going anywhere?" Blaine smiled at Kurt. 

Kurt nodded, and leaned over to give Blaine a kiss. 

Blaine took Kurt's hand again. "So, what was the other fear that was holding you back?" 

Kurt bit his lip, thinking how to word it. "Well, you initially had a crush on me. I was a little afraid you had me up on a pedestal and liked the 'idea' of me that you'd built up in your head, instead of the real me.”

Blaine gathered Kurt in a hug. "I didn't even realize you were worried about that, Kurt. Of course, I think you are gorgeous and sexy, and I love the way you dress. But I've seen you on good days and bad days, just like you've seen me. I know you're not perfect. I love the real Kurt, not some idealized version of you."

“I think I only truly let go of that fear in this last day. Being sick like we have been the past 24 hours... You've seen me at basically my worst and you're still here." Kurt hugged Blaine tight, feeling so cared for and accepted.

Kurt chuckled. "You even put up with watching a six hour long show, and you didn't complain when I replayed the wet shirt scene five times." 

Blaine smiled over at Kurt. "Hey, I'm a gay man too. I'm not going to complain about seeing that scene repeatedly. In fact, I think I have a shirt like that. Let's go down to the beach and reenact it. I'll be your Mr. Darcy." 

Kurt climbed into Blaine’s lap, holding him tight. The next few minutes were quiet except for the sounds of their kissing and soft moans. 

Pulling back to look into Blaine’s eyes, Kurt gave him a small smile. “When we were watching the show, and you were chuckling at the proposal scene with Mr. Collins. It just hit me. “

“What hit you?” Blaine’s eyes were curious. 

Kurt looked down shyly, gathering his scrambled thoughts and feelings, before looking back up. "Well, I realized that I love you. So much." His eyes held Blaine's, wanting him to know he truly meant it. “It's been growing slowly in me ever since you came back and said you loved me."

Blaine's eyes glowed down at Kurt, and then he leaned closer to kiss him softly. "Oh Kurt. I love you too. Always." He was blinking fast, trying not to tear up. 

Smiling, Kurt looked down at their joined hands. 

Blaine chuckled, "So, giving you food poisoning made you fall in love with me?"

Arching an eyebrow, Kurt was confused at Blaine’s jump of reasoning. “How do you figure that?”

“Well, if you hadn’t gotten sick, you wouldn’t have realized that I love the real you, in sickness and in health. And then you wouldn’t have been watching _Pride and Prejudice_ in my big wonderful bed and realizing you loved me back.” Blaine looked a little smug.

Kurt scoffed. “Then again, I’m still not feeling all that great. Maybe it’s all a symptom of fiddlehead-itis. Delusional thinking.” 

Standing up, Blaine bent down and surprised Kurt by pulling him up into his arms. “Then I better keep you in my bed for the next few days, taking care of your every need, and we can see if your feelings are any different when you are back to full health.” 

Kurt giggled as Blaine led him back to the bedroom. “My _every_ need? It may take more than a few days…”

\----  
-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: Thanks for reading this odd little story! Thanks for all the kudos and comments. :D

- _'Pride and Prejudice'_ the BBC six hour mini series starring dishy Colin Firth from 1995. Best adaptation ever. Funny clip of Colin being interviewed by Bridget Jones is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjyoWj1GICo)

-Fiddleheads are delicious but I learned the hard way that you have to be careful cooking them. :) A video all about them is [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzkjQ6a7tk4)

-Follow me on delightful-fear.tumblr.com


	17. Epilogue

\---

 

Waking up first, Kurt looked over at Blaine. He looked so gorgeous. There was such a peaceful expression in his face, and his hair was getting long enough to be messy against the pillowcase. 

Scooting closer, Kurt pressed up against him, spooning him from behind. Last night had been incredible, and he was hungry for more, just thinking about it. Why had he held off having sex with Blaine so long? He was determined to make up for lost time. 

As he remembered the night before, Kurt could feel his morning erection getting harder. Shifting closer, he pressed it against the warm naked skin of Blaine's ass. Pushing his curly hair up, Kurt kissed lightly along the nape of Blaine's neck. 

Blaine stirred a little in his sleep, leaning back against Kurt. Sliding his hand along his chest, Kurt shifted even closer, his cock pressed firmly against Blaine. 

Sliding his hand down under the covers, he soon felt Blaine's cock, already half-hard. Wrapping his fingers around it loosely, he slowly stroked it, feeling it getting harder as he kissed and sucked the back of his neck. 

Wondering how long he could do this before Blaine woke up, Kurt kept playing lightly with his cock. He was tempted to move, to grind against his ass, but the erotic situation was enough to keep him hard. His kisses went all over Blaine's shoulders and upper back. 

Blaine's hips moved, and Kurt was sure he was awake. He stilled his motions, but when Blaine relaxed again, Kurt cautiously started stroking again. This time, Blaine moaned softly, his hips following the motions. Was Blaine in a middle of an erotic dream? Kurt bit into his neck, sucking at his skin. 

Following his motions, Kurt timed the strokes, wanting Blaine to cum. Wanting to be his dream lover. Kurt was tempted to reach for some lube, the hand job a little dry with only Blaine's precum. Taking his hand away for a second, he made it wet with his mouth before stroking again. 

The slickness helped, and Blaine's hips shuddered as he gasped, his body tensing. 

"Yes, baby... Cum for me..." Kurt whispered softly, his own arousal twisting higher. His thrusts matched Blaine's, small presses against his ass. 

Suddenly, Blaine jerked in Kurt's hold, and his breathing changed. Kurt froze, still pressed up tight against Blaine's back, his mouth on his neck, his cock in his hand. Caught red-handed. 

After a breathless pause, Kurt stroked down Blaine's cock, and smiled when he moaned. Pushing Blaine onto his back, Kurt dove his head down to take his hardness into his mouth, sucking and stroking. 

Blaine's hand went into Kurt's hair, as his hips arched off the bed. "Kurt....ahhh..." 

Kurt was too turned on to go slow. His mouth and hand gave fast, hot, wet strokes, and Blaine's hand clenched in his hair. Soon, he was gasping as his hips arched, his groan loud as Kurt brought him over the edge. 

Resting his head on Blaine's hip, Kurt reached down to stroke his own cock, already so close, so hot. Blaine's hand rested on his hair as he watched, Kurt's face flushing as he came. 

When Kurt had caught his breath, Blaine tugged his hair until he looked up. "Yeah, anytime you want to move in, Kurt. I’ll help you with your boxes." 

Kurt chuckled, kissing Blaine's hip before moving up the bed. "Good to know. But now, I think I'm going to jump in the shower." 

"Want company?" Blaine smiled, knowing Kurt would love the roomy shower with the special shower heads. Just another way to welcome Kurt to his new home. 

\----  
-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: This is something I wrote for the story around the time I was working on it, but it didn't seem to fit into the other chapters. Here is it as a sexy little epilogue drabble. :D

-Follow me on delightful-fear.tumblr.com


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